Happiness Is Not A Smoking Gun
by cas.92
Summary: Sequel to "It's Easier To Lure Zombies With Blood Than Axes." EllisxOC NickxOC. The survivors are safe, but safetey is only temporary.
1. Four Months Pregnant

"It's a boy."

Cas beamed at her blonde friend before turning to grin at Ellis. "See," she said, "I told you so."

Four months had passed since their 'family' had come to live in the LA survival community. Four months had passed since Cas found out about her pregnancy. Today, with her friend working the ultrasound machine, she found out the gender of her baby.

"What'r we gon' name 'im?" Ellis asked.

Sophie quickly intervened. "Alrighty, you two love birds. We can all talk about names over dinner. For now, Cas needs to get cleaned up, you both need to get back to work, and I need to see my next patient."

The three departed, leaving Sophie to do her job, Ellis going back to the garage, and Cas back to her cubical. It wasn't a very exciting life (not at all, actually), but you could find none of them complaining about it. After the five got out of the apocalypse, they would all tell you the same thing.

The deserved this little bit of peace.

Coach beamed at his team. Falling back into his regular routine and occupation had been a cinch for him. He got to teach health and phys-ed at the community high school, and he got to coach two of the greatest sports teams in the world.

Football and Baseball.

Life was good. He had a job, a home, a warm cooked meal to come home to every night, projects to keep himself occupied with, and a family who, despite not being related by blood (or related at all, for that matter) loved him. He missed his family, that was for sure, but he wasn`t going to ignore a good thing if he had it.

Life was good.

Nick grumbled from behind his desk at the radio operations centre. Just as Coach predicted, he had gotten fired from his first job in a matter of weeks. Thankfully, they were able to relocate him in a position much more 'suited to his personality.'

Picking up distress calls from remaining survivors.

He had no idea how it suited his personality.

There hadn't been any sign of life out there for weeks now—nearing a month. The rescue was almost finished, he reckoned. He glanced at the clock; only two more hours before he could go home.

Despite his previous preferences, Nick found himself enjoying 'domestic' life. It gave him something to do, kept him out of trouble, and kept him comfortable. Oh, he was comfortable alright. He had a home, a 'family' of sorts, and a pretty little wife to keep him well fed (she was one hell of a cook), well loved (affectionate when prompted), and highly entertained (for hours and hours).

This was the good life.

Sophie sorted away the last of the files, shooing away her last patient, who had come in only for a check-up. It wasn't what she had expected when she signed up for 'medic,' but it was better than a lot of the other jobs offered. She had become a family doctor of sorts.

She got home after Coach, the same time as Cas, but earlier than Ellis and Nick, as was usual. Everyone would be home soon, so she took to her mother-hen duties. She fixed dinner, ordered Cas to set the table, and flopped onto the couch to wait up on everyone else.

This was as good as it was gonna get.

Cas couldn't complain about the position the group had landed in. Even though she had never expected things to turn out this way, she knew things could be worse. A lot worse. She at least had a good job doing what she enjoyed and she was surrounded by people that she cared for. After the apocalypse, Cas and Sophie were closer than ever, and her other friends were just around the corner. Then there was Coach and Nick who (with a bit of reasoning) she could consider a father and brother of sorts. Of course she couldn't forget about her fiancé, whom she was carrying the son of. She was quick to accept the news of their child (deal and move on had been what she told herself) and the hick's proposal made it that much better.  
She did, however, find the need to complain about chores. She had never enjoyed them and the additional luggage made it that much harder. But when push came to shove, they had it easy.  
It was a comfortable life.

Ellis couldn't be happier. He had everything he had ever wanted, plus some. After the apocalypse (hell, during the apocalypse) he started slowly getting the things him and his mama had always wanted for him in life. He had great friends (he could call them family, really), a home, his best friend, Keith, and a fiancée who would soon be the mother of his child.

"And after she rubbed that jelly stuff on Cas' belly, she told us it was gon' be a _boy. _A _boy_, Keith! Can you believe it?"

"Congrats, brother! You'n Cas are gon' be happy together."

When he got home from work, he walked into his house, kissed his fiancée, ate a good home cooked meal, and bunkered down for the night with the woman of his dreams and their to-be child in his arms.

This was the life.

Sophie rubbed the fuzziness from her eyes. Glancing at the clock, she groaned out loud. Only 2:43 in the morning. Her insomnia had been acting up again. Once her body adjusted to a full nights sleep after the sporadic patterns in the panic, it came out of the routine again.

She tried to get back to sleep, but after lying in bed for an hour beside a restful Nick (whom she resented right now), she decided it was perhaps better to wander. Taking her shoes and slipping on her robe, she headed for the front door. Leaving it cracked open to allow for circulation (as nice as the houses were, the circulation was terrible), she headed out for a walk around the neighborhood.

It wasn't like the area was new to her; she had memorized the community front and back by now. It was safe; full of young people—families mostly. You wouldn't believe what whole families would go through to stay together. She completed a circuit and by the end of an hour she was standing on her front porch again.

Walking back into the house and slipping off her shoes, she could hear a muffled crying from the living room.

"Cas," she whispered to herself.

Even though everyone was enjoying the life, being pregnant really messed with her friend. Sometimes Sophie would wake up to her friend's sniffles or angry shouts from another room. It seems this time she decided to take her tears downstairs.

Without turning on the lights, Sophie set the kettle and grabbed a mug for tea. A cup of chamomile was just the trick to get the pregnant lady to calm down and go back to bed. She grabbed the cup of steaming liquid and quietly padded into the living room.

"Cas, I—"

The figure gasped and growled at her. Her eyes widening a little bit, Sophie quickly backed up out of the room and flattened herself against a wall. When the aggravated growling turned back into sobs Sophie put down the mug and went back upstairs.

Nick was still sleeping peacefully when she tip-toed in. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she grabbed his shoulder and gently shook him.

"Nick," she whispered loudly, "Nick, get up."

Shaking his head, he looked at her with bleary eyes. Rubbing them, he looked her over to make sure she was okay. "I'm up," he announced, sitting. "Are you alright? Couldn't sleep?"

"Nick."

"Sophie."

"There's a witch in our living room."

"Then deal with her. Give her some tea like you did last time; didn't that work?"

She sat still, her eyes fixed on his.

"_Nick._"

"_Sophie._"

"There's a _witch _in our _living room._"

He glared into her eyes, making sure she wasn't just pulling his leg. As she didn't look away, he could be pretty sure that she was telling the truth. Springing from his spot, he pulled out the rifle from under their bed.

"Wake everyone up," he instructed. "Tell them what's happening."

At this moment a roar was heard from outside. A moment later, Cas and Ellis burst through their door.

"Guys!" cried Ellis, "There's a _tank _outside!"


	2. Butcher in the Bedroom

**AN: **And thus the updates continue! Thanks to the two who reviewed, it's nice to know you're still out there ^^

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

* * *

Happiness Is Not a Smoking Gun -2- Butcher in the Bedroom

* * *

"And there's a witch in the living room," Sophie added indifferently.

The pair paled at the news. Neither appearances of infected were good signs.

"Can you two go wake up Coach and meet us downstairs? _Away_from the witch," the blonde instructed as she reached for her night stand.

Ellis nodded his approval and waited for Cas, but she stood there with a curious look on her face.

"Why are you so... calm?"

Sophie gave her friend an unimpressed look. "Just go."

Without another word, the girl followed after Ellis and headed to Coach's room. The man was in for a rude awakening.

With her instructions in place, Sophie slid open her nightstand drawer and pulled out a butcher's knife. Most people stuck to small knives or a gun at their bedside for protection, but on the other hand, it _was_ Sophie.

"Since when do you keep a _meat cleaver_ in there?" Nick asked curiously.

Sophie headed to the door with her weapon in hand. "Since I dwelled on the thought of a zombie apocalypse."

"But we already survived one," the man countered.

"And look where we are now."

Nick shut his mouth. In any other circumstance he could have (and would have) questioned further, but the chances of a second zombie invasion just skyrocketed.

* * *

Once the slumbering man was awoken, the five met up in the downstairs kitchen. At first, Coach had laughed at the couple's information, but when the high pitched screech of a hunter echoed through his room, the joke was over. Now all five stood in the kitchen, equipped with weapons; the best they could find at least. There was really no need for them to keep guns in the community. It was relatively small and the crime rate was at an all time low (nonexistent, really), so guns didn't seem necessary in the least. The only two who had kept any were Nick and Ellis. Nick had kept his mainly as a precaution, but he would often test his aim and take bets—he was a conman after all. Ellis, on the other hand, had insisted on keeping his. The excuses he had used were rather...irrelevant, but the group let him keep his shotgun anyways. If his hick nature required a gun, then there was no use in disallowing it.

If not for the current situation, an '_I told you so'_ would have been in order. Time didn't allow them that luxury.

"So... What are we going to do?" Cas asked quietly.

The witch in the next room put a limit on their volume. The last thing they needed was an angry witch attacking them.

"We make our way to Lillian's," Sophie informed. "Once there, we'll explain the rest of the plan."

"You already have a plan, Young'un?" Coach questioned.

Sophie nodded and turned towards the back door. "Let's get there in one piece, shall we?"

The scene outside was nothing less than discouraging. Common infected roamed around freely, confirming the groups creeping suspicions. If it wasn't just the tank and witch, then they were in trouble.

"Man, where'd all them zombies come from?" Ellis asked after a low whistle.

"Doesn't matter," Nick muttered. "They're here so let's get this over with."

With a silent agreement, the group marched forward towards their friends' house. It was safer for them to keep a low profile as they made their way down the street. The last thing they needed was a tank to come barging through. With only two guns, someone was bound to get hurt.

"Looks like them zombies are back for roun' two," Ellis commented as they passed by a few dead bodies.

"And you'll be next if you don't shut up," Nick retorted.

Ellis frowned at the man, but kept quiet none the less. He knew that they weren't in a good position at the moment. Everyone did.

Cas had been particularly aware of how bad their situation had become. Especially for her. Fatigue hadn't been that much of an issue from day to day, but when doing a lot of physical activity, it was easy for exhaustion to creep up on her, especially if there were zombies to keep away from.

Silently, she slipped her hand into Ellis' and drew closer to him. For the time being, he had given his gun to Coach so the man could keep at the back of the group. Nick and Sophie had taken point, leaving the two in the middle. Cas knew that her friends would protect her, but she couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Yew okay?" He asked her softly.

She nodded briefly before turning away, but Ellis had seen it. She was on the verge of tears. Without a word, he pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her from behind as they walked. By now, he knew not to question it out loud. He had learned the hard way many times, usually ending in a screaming fit from the pregnant girl. Her mood swings had some not-so-pleasant consequences.

Up at the front, Sophie and Nick kept their eyes peeled for any hazards. If anything were to happen, they were the pack's first line of defense. They'd see to it that nothing got close.

* * *

Once at their friends' residence, Sophie ran to the door and made quick use of the key she had been carrying. It didn't take long for everyone to get inside, the door quickly shutting behind them. Now it was just a matter of finding their friends.

"I'll check upstairs; Nick, you check in the basement; and you three can look on this floor," Sophie instructed quietly.

Assuming their tasks, the group split into three, keeping weapons at the ready. It didn't take long for the three on the main floor to come up empty handed. Having no where else to search, they returned to the stairs, shortly joined by Sophie.

"Looks like they're downstairs or they got away," Coach concluded.

Sophie nodded her agreement and moved to the door with the remaining three.

"Shouldn' Nick have found 'em by now?" Ellis enquired.

In the span of a second, the group heard a loud shattering sound, immediately followed by Nick's shouts.

"_Are you fucking crazy?"_

"Well, I guess _they _found _him,_" Sophie chuckled.

Down at the bottom, the four found Nick on the floor, surrounded by bits of (it was assumed) a vase. Nick had been rubbing his head with a scowl with Chelsea and Brandon trying to hold back their laughter. Lillian didn't even attempt to hold it back, even as she tried to get out an apology.

"Well Nick. I'd say congratulations but..." Sophie trailed off into a muffled laugh.

"Ha, ha. Very funny," Nick muttered snidely. "You could have warned me she was going to throw something at me."

The blonde shrugged with one last chuckle. "If I had known, I would have told you."

Nick rolled his eyes at her comment and stood up, soon joined by everyone else.

"Might as well get straight to the point," Coach started. "What the hell we gon' do?"

Everyone fell silent at the man's statement. Only Sophie had the nerve to speak up.

"If you don't mind me bossing you guys around, I have a plan."

"Sounds good to me," Lillian piped in.

* * *

Under Sophie's orders, the team had split up to look through the building for items. First aid, painkillers, food, weapons, anything that could be of use to them. They had agreed that moving would be their best way of survival, and since they had time to get prepared, they took it.

"Ellis, if you don't mind, could you keep Cas company down here?" Sophie asked.

The hick dipped his head before turning to the girl beside him.

"I can still help out," she stated stubbornly. "Just tell me what needs to be done."

Sophie couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her lips. "Well, you've been demoted to child bearer, and it looks like you've already started working. Good job. Keep up the good work."

Leaving her utterly baffled friend, Sophie made her way upstairs to join the others.

"Yew could—well, maybe if—uhmm, what about—"

Cas threw her hand up to silence the hick. "Ellis, it's fine."

"Right... but I jus'..." He fumbled with his words as he moved in front of her. "I'm jus' worried. I don't want yew to get hurt."

Pushing back her evident agreement, she closed her eyes and rested against his chest. "You'll protect me, right?"

Ellis was slightly taken aback. "O—of course! A'int nothin' gonna touch yew."

A small smile formed on the girls lips. "Then everything will be okay."

* * *

After about an hour of preparing, the squad regrouped in the basement. Everyone was now equipped with some form of weapon along with a bag of other useful items.

"So, what this plan you've got goin', girl?"

* * *

**FN: **I know you guys are out there, so you might as well leave a little comment XP Anythings welcome, really.

I'm thinking about msging a bunch of people who left reviews for the first story, so don't be surprised if you find a msg in your inbox ^^


	3. Baking a Plan

**AN: **Aha! I knew the msgs would work XP Anywho, thanks to everyone who put this story in their faves, on alert, and/or reviewed. You guys are awesome! ^^

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

* * *

Happiness Is Not a Smoking Gun -3- Baking a Plan

* * *

Sophie licked her lips, trying to sort it out in her head. The plan was only half finished—half formed. She didn't have specialists, proper weapons, transportation, or a proper geographical understanding.

"It's half-baked, really," she started. "But I've been looking up safe places. Now, chances are that if this community base was doing something stupid with the zombies then the other areas are as well. This could mean that if we head there, our chances of survival are cut back enormously." By now, she was pacing the length of the room in-front of a captive audience. "Basically, there's a cluster of islands a little further south. Beyond those islands is an unnamed crescent of land known only as a wildlife preservation centre. The land should be rich enough to live on and, seeing as it's an island, it's a fortress of sorts. The only things we'd have to worry about are the swimmers or floaters, and natural disasters."

The rest of the group pondered this, going over their options (as if they had any).

Brandon grinned, nodding gleefully, "I like it!" he proclaimed.

"I like this more than the original plan!," agreed Lillian.

One by one, everyone pronounced some form of agreement, leading Coach to stand by the small girls side with a hand on her shoulder.

"A'ight, little one. You gon' lead us this time."

* * *

Silently, two groups slinked through the shadows to gather supplies. Cas, Ellis, Sophie, Nick, and Coach occupied one group, Lillian, Brandon, Chelsea, and Keith were in the other. Sophie's team was headed out to gather weapons from the military base and Lillian's team was out gathering rations and other supplies.

Peering around the corner and seeing nothing, Sophie motioned for her group to scan the area. They filled the rooms and grabbed as many guns and as much ammunition as they could. With several fire arms strapped to their bodies, the group fled the scene and moved to the rendezvous point.

Upon arrival, the other team was nowhere to be found—only a note remained.

_Had to leave; walking witches in the area. Meet up with you guys soon. – Lillian_

Sophie scowled and turned to face her team. "They've gone ahead. We've gotta go."

"Of course," Cas grumbled.

* * *

Naturally, they didn't find their friends later. They were nowhere in the community and weren't waiting outside of the city walls (now just piles of rubble). There was, however, the carcass of a Tank left behind which was more encouraging.

About to move forward, the small girl quickly realized she had no idea where she was headed.

"Uh," she said in a small voice.

Nick quickly leaned down to whisper in her ear, "the ocean's that way."

Nodding and shooting him a thankful look, she started forward, with the rest of her group in tow.

* * *

It didn't take them long to realize that the safe rooms there were this far south were few and far between. By now the sun had risen, and the hot light beat down on all of them. Not even Cas had the will to pitch a fit underneath the glare of the sun. The infected would come in waves—in some places it was hard to breathe, in some places there were none at all.

It was currently a little hard to breathe.

"Boy! Get Cas into that car!" ordered Coach.

Ellis ushered Cas into the car with lightning speed, giving her a pistol and shutting her in. Through an open window, Cas shot as many zombies as she could. It wasn't like she was incapacitated—she was pregnant.

According to Sophie, it meant the same thing.

The other four danced around the infected (common or otherwise), trying not to get hit or carried off. Already Coach almost got pounced by a hunter and Sophie was dragged a few feet away by a smoker. The swarm died down in due time, leaving them in disarray and without energy.

"Okay," panted Sophie, "I vote we sleep in the cars for tonight. We'll get moving again when everyone's well rested."

They shuffled their way down the highway to find suitable vehicles to rest in. Eventually, they stumbled across a few working vans whose only windows were in the front. Breaking them open and pulling all the unnecessary bits out, the group made an impromptu camp. The two vans sat side by side and a ladder was fixed in the middle, giving the person on watch full coverage.

"I'll take watch tonight, y'all," said Coach, "the rest of you look worse for wear."

Unable to argue the couples shuffled to a van each and shut themselves in.

* * *

Cas and Ellis lay together, neither of them talking. Ellis cradled Cas from behind, rubbing her growing belly in small, lazy circles. She sighed and leaned her head back to rest on his chest. Neither of them had to tell the other about their greatest worry.

They lost their best friends again.

It wasn't as if they didn't have their friends there; quite the contrary. Sophie and Cas grew closer together during the time they spent sharing a house. Their relationship was rather sisterly. Ellis and Nick had put aside their differences and decided to work with each other. They found themselves to be easy friends when prejudice wasn't an issue. Still, neither of them could forget their _best _friends. Cas had Chelsea and Ellis had Keith.

"They'll be okay," she said aloud to reassure herself.

"Yeah," Ellis drifted off.

Silence overtook the couple again. Ellis played with the ring he gave her—the engagement ring. He smiled at the memory. She had been so happy!

"Hey," he said, tilting her chin so he was looking at her, "we'll be okay."

* * *

In the other van Nick and Sophie were in a similar embrace, only they chose to face each other. She didn't talk, so he didn't, and he didn't try, so she didn't either. There was too much to say and no way to say it. Sophie knew Lillian and her team would be fine; there was no way they couldn't be.

She just didn't know about her own team.

"Is this how Coach always feels?" she asked.

Knowing what she was implying, he hummed in thought. "Nah. I bet it's second nature to him by now." He shifted so he could look her in the eye. "But you know, I think leading is first nature to you."

She smirked and playfully shoved him. "I have no idea what I'm doing."

"You're keeping everyone safe," he shot back. "And you're getting us to a safe place. Now, don't ask me, I wouldn't know, but I think that's the stuff of a true leader."

She bit her lip in thought, then grumbled, "you just want in my pants again."

He chucked, "You're my wife. When don't I?"

* * *

By late morning they found a relatively deserted variety store outside of a small town. Breaking in, they obtained snacks (which kept Cas very happy) and a map (which brightened Sophie's spirits a lot more).

"Alright!" Sophie announced. "Does anyone know anything about deserts?"

Coach raised a hand and an eye brow.

"Good!" she cheered, "Then you're in charge of getting us across this desert," she pointed to a spot on the map, "right here. For now, we're approaching a city. After we get out of suburbia, we're going to have to be…careful."

"You know, this one time Keith and I were walkin' through this city, an' there were like, a _million _sky scrapers and stuff. This one guy jumps off a buildin' an—"

Coach cleared his throat, seeing the small girl pale. Ellis took in the situation and muttered an apology.

"No one's going to be jumping off roofs unless it's a zombie," Cas cut in, trying to ease her friends pain.

"That's what I'm worried about."

* * *

Getting through the jungle of backyards, play parks, sedans, and mini vans was like walking through a circus with the infected around. Each group member was reminded vaguely of the town they had to go through during their trip through the sugar mill. It put all of them on edge.

Cas spotted a pile of abandoned ammunition down the road. Unfortunately, it seemed that there was a Hunter guarding the pile. Using it as bait was likely. Nudging her friend, she gestured to the pile. Sophie pursed her lips in a plan on luring the infected away from their prize.

"Hey Nick," she said casually. When he looked over she continued, "go get that ammo over there for me."

He looked over and spotted the pile…and the hunter. "There's a hunter over there."

"I know."

"No."

"Go get it or our marriage is over."

Grunting, Nick pulled out his gun and walked casually towards the threat. This was a common trick his wife pulled.

He fell for it every time.

* * *

The buildings became denser—less personal property appeared. They knew they were in the city when the pavement went from well maintained, to cracked and littered. Coach glanced up at the first sky scraper on the outer edges of the city limits.

"Now what?"

* * *

**FN: **Out of the pan and into the fire? Questions? Comments? Criticism? Concerns? All are welcome ^^


	4. Guns n' Smokers

**AN: **Sorry for not updating sooner. My band had a gig yesterday and we opened up for The Agonist. It was soooo much fun XD Anyways, Soph isn't on msn... so I'm posting the unedited version... I'll fix it up later.

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

* * *

Happiness Is Not a Smoking Gun -4- Guns n' Smokers

* * *

Everyone's attention was once again put onto Sophie. There was a lot to take into consideration, but she knew that the end result would be the same.

"We're going to get through the city as carefully and quickly as possible," Sophie informed. "There will be a lot more infected in the area, so we'll need to stay close."

She glanced over the group, taking a quick look at their equipment. By the looks of it, they were pretty well off, but of course, there was always room for improvement.

"There should be a few useful stores on the way too. We would do well to stop by them," she added.

"Amen," Coach approved.

Now that they had reached the city, the safe rooms were closer together and a lot more frequent. It was a nice change for the group, but at the same time, it was because of the increased amount of infected.

"Shit man, we just got in an' look at 'em all," Ellis whined as they barricaded themselves in a safe room.

As soon as the first zombie had caught sight of the survivors, a horde had been on their tail nonstop. Considering all the zombies that the group had previously faced, it wasn't too difficult to get through them, but the limited space left the survivors with a few scrapes and bruises.

It didn't take long for them to regroup and patch up any wounds. Since nothing had been major, Cas volunteered as nurse for the time being. Sophie's instructions for her had been simple, _disinfect and cover._ It was an easy job, but it gave the girl a sense that she was actually helping out. That and she got to have fun with the alcohol swabs.

"Take it like a man," she ordered.

It was hard to keep a straight face as Ellis backed away from her hurriedly, putting his back to the wall. "But yew 'ready cleaned it."

Stopping in front of him, she put on a puppy dog pout. "But I don't want it to get infected."

With one look, the mechanic gave in and turned his cut cheek towards her.

"Boy, the lil'lady got'cha whipped too," Coach teased from his spot on the floor.

Sophie chuckled from her spot beside the man as she worked on his sore ankle.

"Hey, as long as the end result's there, it's worth it," Nick defended coolly.

The blonde shot him a disapproving look which he just smirked at.

"Man, Nick. Is'at all yew do it for?" Ellis questioned as a band aid was placed on his cheek.

Nick groaned at his question. "That's the last time I defend you, Overalls."

* * *

Once everyone was good to go, they moved out of the safe room. With the scent of blood mostly masked, it was easier for them to avoid the infected if they stayed to the side of the roads. They even had easy access to the different stores along the way.

"I didn't think zombie's cared about jewelry," Sophie commented, spotting a broken in store.

Noticing her gaze, Nick moved towards the retailer and carefully stepped over the broken glass. "It's about time."

"Not really," Cas countered, "there's zombies out here, remember?"

The group stopped momentarily as the conman searched through the shelves.

"Nick, get your ass out here; we have to keep moving," Sophie ordered in annoyance.

"Yeah, yeah. Just a se—finally!"

With his gun under one arm, Nick walked out of the building as he fumbled with something on his wrist.

"Nev'r knew yew was into that girl stuff, Nick," Ellis stated.

Nick sighed as he clasped the watch on. "It's a Rolex, Ellis. A Rolex. _Not _for women."

"A Role-lucks? Well yew could'a fooled me."

Cas patted the hick's back. "Rolex. It's a watch," she corrected, then turned to Nick. "And they make them for women too."

Nick huffed and turned to lead the group down the street. As they continued, they found it wasn't as necessary to stop in each safe room; just a few here and there. If anything, the current area was turning out to be the easiest distance to cover. Sure, there were a few zombies about, causing a small disturbance every once and a while, but all in all, it was a smooth walk. They were even able to stop at a grocery store of sorts. Seeing as it was in the middle of a busy city, it was more of a convenient store if anything, but the point was, there was food and they needed some.

After the short break, everyone packed their bags and moved on. They had started a brisk walk, only stopping on sight of a gun store. The front of the store had been completely untouched; the door was locked and the front windows were intact.

"This will most likely start an alarm," Sophie warned. "Good thing we're breaking into somewhere with more ammo."

She reached into her bag and pulled out some sort of small, metal contraption. The group could only assume it was a lock pick.

* * *

As expected, opening the front door had set off a blaring alarm, alerting all the infected in the area. The survivors didn't even have a second to breathe before they were surrounded.

"Keep your backs to the store," Coach bellowed.

The four mobile survivors formed a semi-circle around the vulnerable member of their team and started picking off zombie after zombie. Neither side was giving in.

"We gotta turn that alarm-" Ellis' sentence was cut short as a jockey jumped on him. "Get this thing off me!"

Nick, being the closest, sprinted after the hick as he was led to the middle of the street. At just a few feet away, Nick was hit from the side and carried a good ways down the road by a charger.

Sophie and Coach both exchanged worried looks. One of them would have to stay back and the other would have to go and save the incapacitated two.

"I'll be fine in here, both of you go help them," Cas instructed.

Both didn't like the idea of leaving the pregnant girl on her own, but they didn't have much of a choice. With a hesitant nod each, they both charged forward. Cas fully understood the faults in her plan, but with only one of them leaving to help, it would have been easy for a special infected to pick them off. At least this way, they had a chance.

Reloading her pistol, she backed up into the store, keeping a foot or two away from the door. This way, the infected could only come from one direction.

All had been going well for her, until her strategy was compromised. In the heat of the battle, Cas hadn't noticed the wheezing of a smoker behind her until a tongue wrapped around her neck and stomach. As quickly as she could, she brought her hands to each coil of the infected's tongue for breathing room. The loop around her waist was easy to sneak and arm into, but the one around her neck was too tight. Now she was in trouble.

* * *

"Now that's just offensive, what those little guys do," Ellis complained.

As soon as Sophie and Coach had the little infected off him, they started towards Nick.

"Boy, go help Cas. She's in the store," Coach ordered.

With minimal thought, he ran towards the store. If she was alone, he was going to get there as soon as possible, if not sooner.

"Cas?"

Upon entering the store, there had been no sight of the girl. Ellis felt his heart pound in his chest, only stopping at the sight of green smoke. In a panic, he rushed forward, his gun at the ready.

"Son of'a bitch!"

As soon as Ellis had the smoker in his sight, it had taken a bullet to the forehead, plus an aggravated kick when he was close enough.

"Cas, yew okay?" He asked hurriedly as he dropped to her side.

Instead of the response he had been expecting, she clutched onto his shirt weakly, a look of panic on her face. Confusion washed over his face. Wasn't she supposed to be gasping for air? Or coughing? Or _something_?

Ellis deadpanned as the girl's face didn't relax, instead, continuing to turn a deep purple colour.

"Wh-Wha-" His growing terror had left him flustered and not knowing what to do. He wasn't a doctor in the least. Plus, he didn't even know _what _was wrong.

"SOPHIE!"

It was the only thing he could do.

* * *

**FN: **Uh oh...how ever will I keep posting chapters if I die? :O And since I mentioned my band in the author's note... if anyone likes bands like Evanescence, or We Are the Fallen, or metal in general, check out my band on myspace, Embracing Soul. Lemme know what you think ^^


	5. Cat Got Your Tongue?

**AN:**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! Much appreciated!

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

* * *

Happiness Is Not a Smoking Gun -5- Cat Got Your Tongue?

* * *

She whipped her head around at the sound of her name. Barely freeing Nick from the chargers hold, she had still been in the middle of checking his back.

"Coach, help him out," she instructed before taking off in a wild sprint towards Ellis' cry for help.

Slicing through the oncoming horde, Sophie practically leapt into the gun store, looking frantically around for Ellis. She spotted him further back, cradling a purple-faced Cas. Panicking only momentarily, she collected herself and fell to her knees in-front of the duo.

"What happened?" she hastily asked Ellis.

"She—she—I ran in an' a smoker had 'er!" Sophie cut him off, making very quick checks of Cas' vitals. When she reached the girls neck, a look of sheer panic broke out onto her face. A sheen of cold sweat collected on the back of her neck and she shoved Ellis away.

"Hey!" he protested.

Sophie knew what this was. She has only ever seen it once before…by accident. Forcing her friend's mouth open she glanced in, confirming that in the shock of the event, the pregnant lady had swallowed her tongue. It was common enough and easy to fix—if only Cas would stop struggling and stay conscious for just a little longer.

The blonde shoved her fingers into the other girl's mouth, grabbing the slimy muscle and dragging it out of her windpipe. In the process Cas chomped down on the medics hand, causing her to let go of it. Ignoring the pain, Sophie grabbed the girls tongue again and successfully dragged it out of her trachea.

Cas sat up, sputtering, coughing, and gasping for air. Her face lightened from purple to red to pink—unable to go any further because of the violent coughing fit. Shooting up and running to the back, Sophie turned off the alarm by pulling out the wires, causing a minor burn on her already bitten hand.

This day couldn't get any better.

Running back into the room she left Cas and Ellis in, she could spot Coach and Nick picking off the last of the swarm. She kneeled by Cas' side, getting her friend to look at her.

"You okay?" she asked.

Cas nodded, not trusting her voice just yet. She had only managed to get back to breathing, still coughing once in a while.

Sophie nodded back, her concern showing clearly in her eyes. She patted Ellis' shoulder in a silent order to keep an eye on the girl. She made her way over to Coach, who insisted he was fine until the next safe house, which led her to Nick.

She didn't like to admit how attached she was to the conman. Even though they were married (sort of), both of them still had the tendency to act like what they had was a fling. She didn't like to admit that she truly cared for and deeply loved a man (let alone a man who was just as strange as her). So when she approached him, it surprised them both when she grabbed him in a tight hug and started tearing up.

"Woah, woah, hey there," he shifted awkwardly in the embrace to hug her back. "It's alright. It's over; we're safe."

He was trying hard not to admit the same thing.

She sniffled, burying her face into his chest, "I—I just—I was so _scared. _And you were dragged off like that—and Cas! She almost _died." _

The entire group stiffened at the small girl's hysterics. Even Cas hadn't had the previous displeasure of seeing her friend _this _upset. The stress just went straight to her head and exploded.

Quickly realizing she had an audience; Sophie pulled away from her husband and furiously wiped her eyes.

"I'm okay," she said.

"You sure?" Cas croaked out.

Letting out a relieved giggle while still wiping her eyes, she nodded.

"I should be asking _you _that." She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. "Come on then. Let's get the ammo we worked so hard for and get to the hospital…or at least a clinic of some sort. We need to check out Cas and I need to bandage my hand."

* * *

Thankfully, they found a safe, enclosed section in the first floor of the hospital. Tonight they would at least have at least gurneys to sleep on. Sophie made her rounds with a small help from Cas (she wouldn't let her move around much due to "recent trauma"). Sitting on a gurney with a roll of gauze and an antiseptic beside her, she pathetically tried to wrap her hand.

Nick found her fumbling with the roll, cursing in whispers, and throwing miniature fits. He chuckled and sauntered forward, grabbing the gauze and gently taking her hand. She quieted her fussing and allowed him to wrap it.

It was sloppy, she wanted to say, but it was a lot better than how she would have done it. She looked up at him with thanks, keeping eye contact.

"Um," she started, dropping the stare and moving it to the floor. "I wanted to say something."

The conman shifted. He braced himself, anticipating the worst.

"I, uh, know we've technically been married for, what, four months now? I just noticed that we, uh, haven't—I haven't…"

His eyebrows furrowed as her face contorted.

"I wanted to say that I love you."

He was silent, so she stayed silent. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for him to laugh at her. Damn, she thought, she was still so young. He was older, more experienced, had an _ex-wife. _If he could leave one woman so easily, what was to say that she was any different?

"That's it?" he finally said.

Scrunching her eyebrows together, her head shot up so she could look at him. "What do you mean, '_that's it'_? Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to say that out loud? Jerk."

He laughed, stepping right up to the gurney and pulling her into a hug. "I didn't think it needed to be said," he explained coolly, "I thought you would just know." He captured her eyes with his own. "I knew. I knew all along."

"Oh," she mumbled.

He took her hand in his, wedding bands side by side in the dull light.

* * *

Ellis was cradling Cas to him like he would never let her go. After the scare today, he was shocked to find the baby didn't suffer any damages. He was relieved when he found out that Cas would be okay and recover fully.

From behind her, he buried his face into her shoulder and squeezed out a few happy, relieved tears. Cas could feel the dampness and tightened her hold.

"It's not your fault," she cooed.

"I should've been there," he whispered back.

"You got jumped. I should have been there for you."

Argument building in his throat, he was cut off before he could counter.

"Ellis, it's okay—_I'm_ okay. Soph' said I was going to be fine, so I'll be fine. You're fine and our…son is alright too. You don't have to be sorry," she reasoned.

"I love yew, Cas. I love yew so much. We're gon' get to that eye-land, and yur gon' have our baby, and we're gon' live hap'ly ever after."

Cas couldn't help but chuckle at her fiancés fantasy. It was nice.

With any luck, it would be what happened.

* * *

The next morning, Cas found Sophie sitting beside a backpack full of medical supplies, with an unwrapped hand, vigorously flexing it.

"Don't doctors ever take their own advice?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

Sophie glanced up, not stopping the movement in her left hand. "Nope; we wouldn't be very good doctors of we did."

"Stop moving your hand and wrap it back up; you'll break the scabs."

"Bite me."

A second of silence passed between the two before they broke into a fit of giggles.

"Already have!" Cas gasped out between laughs; this, of course, sent them spiraling into more laughter which inevitably woke everyone else up.

"What's all this giggling about, hmm?" demanded Coach, walking into the room.

"I—I told her to _bite me!_" choked out Sophie, keeping the girls in their laughter.

"Well," sighed Nick, shaking his head, "at least we know _Sophie's _back to normal."

She shot him a look, slowly calming. He simply smirked back.

"Alright, tiny; where we headed next?" asked Coach.

She shook her head and glanced at the door. "Get out of the city," she stated, "the freeway should take us to a set of marinas. From there, we get a boat and go island hopping until we get to _our _island."

The group nodded, pulling themselves together and packing.

Today would be much better than yesterday.

* * *

**FN: **To the marina! If you guys could, please keep reviewing. It's really nice knowing what everyone thinks about the story ^^


	6. Shopping

**AN: **Thanks to all of our readers for faving, reviewing, ect ect. Much appreciated! And Trippyfalls had a good point about the majority of Left 4 Dead fanfics being slashes! I was looking for a good Ellis fanfic and I only found, what, five non-slash stories out of eight pages . What has the world come to? T_T

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

* * *

Happiness Is Not a Smoking Gun -6- Shopping

* * *

The five walked down the street, fully rested and patched up. All was silent, until the pregnant girl erupted in a fit of laughter. She quickly covered her mouth to keep quiet, but the puzzled looks on the other survivor's made the task rather difficult.

"What'so funny?" Ellis asked curiously.

The rest of the group watched as she lowered her hand. She still had a twinkle of amusement in her eyes.

"Well, I just noticed that since we left the reserve, we've all been wearing our pajamas."

None of the others found it quite as comical as she did, but Ellis humored her a slight chuckle. They did, however, look down at their attire. Coach, Sophie, and Nick were in similar apparel, all in loose pyjama bottoms and a t-shirt. The only difference being that Sophie was drowning in her red, silk bottoms. If not for the intensely tied string on them, they would have fallen. Cas had also been wearing pyjama bottoms, but chose to wear a tank top instead. She had decided that since the baby bump wasn't going away anytime soon, she wouldn't worry about hiding it.

The only one who differed from the rest was Ellis. For sleeping, he felt more comfortable with just his boxers and a t-shirt. Cas couldn't help but poke at his side teasingly. He just flushed and stood behind her, holding her hands away from himself.

"We could always go for a shopping trip," Sophie suggested. "It's not like we won't pass some form of clothing store."

Everyone exchanged nods and moved on. Their next stop—a clothing store.

* * *

"Here, try this one!" Cas called as he held up a red shirt in front of the hick.

On closer inspection, Ellis noticed the Midnight Rider's logo on the front...then the size.

"I don't think it's gonna fit," he mumbled, making sure not to upset her.

"Yeah, yeah. That's what she said," she shot back with a smirk. "Just try it."

With a reluctant sigh, he threw on the shirt and waited for her opinion. He secretly hoped he wouldn't have to wear it.

"Not bad," she informed with a low whistle.

As she turned away to find a shirt of her own, a smirk crept onto his lips. Maybe he could live with it after all.

"Hey Ellis? Does this shirt make me look pregnant?"

His jaw dropped slightly at her question. He didn't know how to answer.

* * *

Sophie glanced over at the pair across the store as Cas (yet again) burst into laughter. Apparently, having almost lost her life hadn't dampened her mood.

"What about this one?"

She turned her attention to Nick, raising a brow at the skimpy shirt in his hand. Without a word, she took the shirt from him and took a few steps away before turning her back and changing into it.

"How is it?" She asked as she turned around to face him.

Noting his wandering eyes, she walked forward, a certain seductive strut to her step. She stopped a few feet in front of him.

"Looks good," he confirmed with a grin.

Sophie flashed him a smile. "Good, because I was just thinking this hoodie would look great with it."

Nick felt his lip twitch slightly. She spun to walk away, but the conman was quick on his toes, easily able to grab her around the waist and pull her back.

"Fucking tease."

* * *

Coach grumbled at the interactions between the couples. He wasn't a cold hearted man (not in the least), but ever since he had become the fifth wheel, it left him rather envious. Before the apocalypse, he had been happy with his wife, but she had been lost to the infection. Actually, he wasn't too sure about what happened to her, but when he had first been informed about the infection, he was at the school. When he got home, his wife had already left, taking the car and their son with her. Yes, he had a family; one that he loved dearly. It was not as if he had given up hope, but instead, he was waiting. Waiting for the day they'd cross paths. Until then, he had his fellow team mates; his new family.

* * *

"Heads up!" Nick called out.

The group dispersed in a matter of seconds. In place of where they had been standing, a zombie landed on the ground, its body splattering against the sidewalk.

Everyone's attentions turned upwards to the skyscraper beside them.

"Shit, looks like it's raining men," Cas commented.

Sophie groaned at her friend's statement. "That's what I was afraid of."

After the third zombie had taken the leap of faith at the survivors, they opted to search for a vehicle. There was bound to be at least _one _with gas.

"Any luck?" Coach asked hopefully.

Both Nick and Ellis shook their heads as they returned from the vehicles on either side of the road. They had been searching for at least another half hour, coming out empty handed. They were able to add another seven zombies to the kamikaze list.

"_Guys_!"

The group rushed forward towards Sophie's shout of excitement. Once around the corner, all jaws dropped. Not only had the girl found a car, but it was a Porsche. A stunning, hot cherry red Porsche.

"Holy—it's Christmas!" Ellis announced in utter exhilaration.

He raced forward and reached for the front door, instantly withdrawing as an infected shot at him from the inside.

"Wha? Why's he get'ta drive?"

Cas sighed and patted his back when he returned.

"Nick, go get that zombie out of there," Sophie instructed.

"But-"

"Or our marriage is over."

The man groaned openly and marched towards the vehicle, momentarily pausing at the girls side.

"Did we not just have a heart to heart moment?" He asked in displeasure.

Sophie shrugged. "We did, and we'll probably have another one later. Now go do it."

* * *

"I call driving!" Ellis announced.

The blonde stopped him in his tracks and blocked the front door.

"Sorry, but I'm driving," she informed matter-of-factly.

"But yewr hand's hurt," he retorted.

Sophie didn't waver, keeping a stubborn look on him. Without a word, she balled a first and threw it into his gut. After that, she strolled over to the Porsche and sat in the driver's seat.

It took him a second to recover (mostly from the shock), then he looked over at her with a new idea.

"I call shotgun!"

Before he could even take a step forward, Cas cleared her throat.

"There's no way I'm getting in the back of that car with Nick and Coach," she warned.

A pout formed on the hick's lips. He would comply though. He had to.

"It's all yers, Nick."

With a smirk, the man walked past him and opened the door. "Your seat awaits, Overalls."

Ellis took Cas' hand and walked over to the passenger's side where they could enter.

"Jimmy Gibbs Junior was a bett'r ride," he mumbled spitefully.

Cas cleared her throat again, earning a snicker from Sophie.

"Didn't know you swung that way," the blonde commented.

The pout he had been supporting turned into a frown. "Now Sophie, yew know I a'int into that sort'a thing."

The group chuckled at his response and entered the vehicle. Everyone knew the girls were only pulling the hick's leg. The point was, they finally had a vehicle.

They were getting out of the city.

* * *

**FN: **Aww, poor Ellis. I just noticed after re-reading this chapter, but the Jimmy Gibbs comment works with the author note for this one XD lol, anyways, out of the city and onto the highway!


	7. Hot Ride

**AN: **Well, for some of you, this has been the long, long awaited chapter, but before I get into that I'll apologize for not posting yesterday. My bad :P

Annndddd, *drum roll* There's a lemon in here nearing the end, so consider yourself warned.

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

* * *

Happiness Is Not a Smoking Gun -7- Hot Ride

* * *

"We're on the hiiiiiiigh-way to hell! Hiiiiigh-way to hell!" belted out Sophie, merging onto the freeway and avoiding dead cars.

"Hiiiiiigh-way to hell!" Ellis joined in. Eventually the two had the whole car in song as it sped down the open lanes.

Now, Sophie wasn't a terrible driver by any means, but by the way she was currently doing so, you would never be able to tell. The odd car or wandering zombie kept Sophie swerving, all done at rather high speeds. She refused to lessen the pace due to a few obstacles; after all, how many times would she be able to drive a car this hot? At the rate the world was going—never again.

Hitting a common infected full on caused the car to shake violently as the zombie was sent sprawling into the air. "Ten points!" she cheered.

"Aaaaannnd, there goes her sanity again," whispered Cas to Ellis. He nodded hesitantly in response.

"I'm glad yew made me sit in the back. Nick looks ter'fied up there."

Indeed, Nick seemed to be steadily growing paler each time the car hit a zombie. While steering, Sophie handed Nick the map, keeping her eyes on the road.

"Honey, pretend we're on a road trip. It's my turn to drive and your turn to read the map. How do we get to the closest marine?"

He opened the map, finding where they were and trailing his finger to what he assumed was Sophie's in-mind destination.

"Come on," she prompted, "we've only got another three hours of gas. Give me a place to go."

"Patience, woman. Geeze. It's about three hours away if you keep at this pace and avoid hitting anything that moves."

"Sure thing, babe."

He scowled at the nickname as Coach sniggered. Sophie missed the oncoming zombie and put on her 'game face'. As soon as she had directions and a time limit, the ride automatically became smoother, leaving no sound in the car except for the engine and the wind outside.

Cas yawned, resting her head on the hicks shoulder and closing her eyes. While the company was going to be quiet, she may as well gather her energy for the battles to come.

* * *

A few hours later, everyone had passed out except for Sophie. She would wake up Nick when she hit the landmark he told her about. Until then, she entertained herself with singing quietly, putting her brain on shuffle and going.

Giggling at the next song in mind, she started off with a very quiet falsetto, "Zoo time, is she and you time. The mammals are your favorite type and you want her tonight." She paused, looking around for any signs of consciousness. None. She proceeded louder. "Heartbeat. Increasing heartbeat! You hear the thunder of stampeding rhinos, elephants and tacky tigers. This town ain't big enough for the both of us. It isn't me who's gonna leave!"

"Shut up," spit out Cas, kicking the back of her chair to jostle the woman in front of her. "I hate that song, and you sound like an idiot with that falsetto."

Sophie blushed, and stiffened, embarrassed at being caught. She cleared her throat and shuffled awkwardly in her seat.

"Have to agree," said Nick with his eyes still closed, "I liked your voice a lot more when you weren't sing that ridiculous song."

She blushed redder, realizing she had woken the car up with her whim.

"Sorry ye had to hear that," she said, not making eye contact.

"I thought it wus funny," piped in Ellis.

Cas laughed at his addition. She was quickly cut off by the car engine sputtering. Ellis and Sophie sported the same frown, Sophie taking her foot off the gas and working the gears.

"Outta gas," the hick stated.

"Yup," the blonde agreed.

Eventually the Porsche rolled to a stop and the survivors sighed. The sinking feeling in their stomachs grew, intensified by the deserted area around them. They had to be out in the middle of the desert—the marina was probably just over those mountains not too far away.

Resting her head on the steering wheel, Sophie gathered her plan. "Okay, we follow the road until we find another car with gas. It shouldn't be too far away if we continue on the speeds we were just going. Otherwise, we're looking at a few days of hiking, so," she opened the door, "we're gonna be camping in the mountains for tonight. Sound fun?"

"Tons," replied the conman sarcastically, getting out of his seat, "I can't wait."

"I'm actu'ly pretty excited!" countered Ellis.

He helped Cas get out of the back and Coach climbed out on the other side. "Come on, ya'll, let's get going."

* * *

A few more hours out in the sun had the group begging for rest and shade. Sophie could feel the burns begin to form on her cheeks and shoulders—she had spent the better part of her four months indoors or out at night. Cas felt herself growing faint underneath the relentless heat, and Ellis could see her step wavering. Without her consultation he swept her off her feet and carried her. She didn't bother with complaining.

Conversation took up too much energy, so the group stuck to keeping their mutters and curses to themselves. By sundown, they had reached the mountains and a lush oasis by the roadside. They filled all of their water bottles before stepping into the water themselves.

Using the thin tarps packed, three makeshift tents were erected around the fire. Food was distributed (energy bars and some found nuts and berries) before they all decided to call it a night.

Cas and Ellis crawled into their tent, sharing little kisses through the passing time. Recently Cas had found herself more…excited about Ellis in a general. Sophie had assured her that it was normal—just hormones running rampant. Note, that she had also suggested that sexual activity during pregnancy was supposed to be fantastic (according to a medical journal). She even went so far as to say "The way they're describing it almost makes me wanna get pregnant just to have such amazing sex."

So what was the harm in trying?

* * *

Sophie and Nick slid into their tent, intending to get a good sleep. They were woken from their haze by sounds from the neighboring tent. Both of them were sure Coach was either snoring loudly enough to keep himself asleep, or was not getting to sleep that night.

"Looks like she took my suggestion," Sophie sniggered.

"You encouraged them to get busy?" Nick asked, disbelieving.

"Well," she shrugged, "it's not like she can get pregnant again. And hey, according to science, sex-when-pregnant is supposed to be great." She paused long enough to catch one of Cas' louder moans. "It_ sounds_ great."

He lay down, using his elbows to keep himself propped up. Taking off the sweater, she kneeled in-front of him. "Still like the top?" she asked with a suggestive smirk on her face.

He grinned, "I would like it more on the floor."

"Mmm," she agreed, sliding over him and pulling it over her head. "I was just thinking the same thing."

She had a leg on either side of is, effectively straddling him in the small space. Her pale breasts exposed to him right away, he lay there to admire the view, not at all minding her taking charge. In fact, he would wait until she was done with her little strip tease before making his move.

She worked next on his shirt, gingerly un-tucking it from his pants by slipping her fingers into them. Her cool fingers excited him even further as they brushed against his hips, teasingly brushing lower than necessary. As soon as she had nothing but her panties on and was working on his belt he snatched her wrists and flipped her over. She continued working on freeing his manhood as his mouth enveloped hers in a passionate kiss. He hadn't noticed anything until he felt a slight squeezing pressure in a certain region.

He threw his head back in a quiet moan. When he looked back down she was looking at him with a lustful smirk. He smirked back, lowering himself onto one elbow for support. Before she knew it, his hand was between her legs and his fingers were slipping beneath the edge of her underwear. She closed her eyes and bit her lip at the sensation of his fingers meeting her folds.

Lightning fast, she pulled her own panties off and straddled the conman once more. She positioned him under her opening, teasing him with her heat. He nearly glared up at her before she lowered herself onto him fully. A perfect fit—always.

She began slowly rocking back and forth, establishing a rhythm. He gently bucked his hips to match her movement, taking one hand to stroke her clit as she rode him. When the pace picked up and he couldn't take it anymore he threw her underneath him in an almost violent motion. She matched his intent by wrapping her legs around him for better leverage. He still had one finger on her clit as he ploughed into her.

Eventually she let out a breathy gasp, throwing her head back and moaning his name. He could feel her walls tighten around him, sending him over the edge. Allowing his seed to fill her completely, he slowly relaxed himself. He rolled off and pulled her to his side. She rested her head on his chest and traced one finger over the lines of his stomach.

"Could it get better than that?" he asked cockily.

* * *

Coach didn't have to be awake to know what happened. The lovers obviously had a fun time last night and at this point all he wanted was to find his wife and son. Ellis and Cas were starting a family of their own (and by the sounds of it, Sophie and Nick were well on their way, accident or otherwise).

Still, he didn't have the heart to wake them up before the sun was high in the sky, prompting him to move forward. Shaking their tents to get their attention, the four eventually reemerged, dressed but disheveled. The girls locked eyes with each other, sharing their experiences through conversations using only their eyebrows (a secret language only women knew).

After a few more hours they found an old pick-up with a quarter of a tank left.

"I'm driving this time," Nick insisted.

* * *

**FN: **Satisfied? lol, keep up the reviews and I'll give y'all a cookie XP


	8. The Cod Father

**AN: **Thanks for the support everyone, you're keeping this story alive ^^

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

* * *

Happiness Is Not a Smoking Gun -8- The Cod Father

* * *

"No way, it's my turn!" Ellis protested with a pout.

Nick openly laughed at Ellis' assumption that he cared.

"I know it's your calling to drive a pick-up truck, but let's let Nick take the wheel," Sophie reproached.

"And I don't think I should be in the back seat with Soph if she decides to start singing again," Cas added wearily.

The hick looked between them, his brow furrowed. Once again he had pulled the shorter straw. He had even been more excited about the pick-up than the Porsche. It seemed second nature for him to be the one to drive it. Not Nick.

"Let's get a move on, shall we?" Coach suggested.

The same three piled into the back of the pick-up, allowing Nick and Sophie to once again take driver's side and shotgun.

* * *

The trip to the marina wasn't as long as everyone had thought. Cas had said it would have felt even shorter if not for her friend's low singing in the front. At first, Sophie had been helping Nick out with directions, but once she decided he could handle it on his own, she started humming intelligible words. Apparently, Cas' complaints had made her better at pronunciation and she was soon in full swing.

"Have you seen my sister, Evelyn? Fuck! She's gone and wandered off again!" The blonde sang with gusto. Admittedly, it was better than the falsetto, still, it sounded like a 1950's show tune.

With a groan of defeat, Cas buried her face into Ellis' shoulder. It didn't help much with the noise though.

"Now, now, Cas," Ellis chuckled, "it's a pr'ty funny song."

"And it's annoying," she whined.

A few minutes after that, Nick slowed the truck and pulled up to the marina's front entrance. The group held their celebration though. Scattered about the area, zombies wandered around aimlessly. The survivors couldn't help a chuckle or two at the occasional zombie that stepped over the dock's ledge.

"I'm surprised there's still boats," Cas commented as they exited the vehicle.

Sophie sighed. "Zombies don't steal boats, Cas."

"That's not what I—" the girl cut herself off; she wouldn't win. "Never mind."

"Alright," Sophie started, grabbing everyone else's attention, "Ellis and Cas, can you go in the main building and look for anything useful? Nick, Coach, we'll stay outside and work on the boat stealing zombies."

The pair offered a nod and a sigh (Cas offering a glare at her friend's sarcasm), then moved to the building to complete their task. For the most part, the shop was lined with fishing supplies and boat parts. Near the front, there had been a few snacks which the two had been happy to collect. Other than that, there wasn't anything else of much interest. Ellis did, however, find a box labelled 'adrenaline'.

"Should we show it to Soph'?" He asked curiously.

Cas shrugged. "Might as well."

* * *

Back outside, the three had pretty much cleared the area of any infected. Cas and Ellis were soon to meet up with them outside, the box securely under the hick's arm.

"What'cha got there, Overalls?" Nick asked.

Ellis held the box out in front of Sophie. "It's a-dren-a-line."

The blonde muffled a laughed as she took the box. "Well, this should be amusing."

Nick watched as she opened the box. "Don't those—"

Before he could finish, Sophie stopped him with a wave of her hand. Then she grinned at Ellis. "I'll take one if you do."

A look of worry washed over his face. He could barely pronounce the name of it, how would he know what it did?

Sophie let out a small giggle, knowing full well what the shots would probably do. Assuming it was adrenaline, then all it would cause was a temporary boost of energy and activity. She could get Ellis to help her bring the boat she spotted over. If it was anything else, then they got high as a kite and had a fun time.

No harm, no foul.

She uncapped one, gesturing for Ellis to get closer. Hesitantly he walked toward her.

"Now, yew're sure this is safe?" he asked.

"It should be," she answered, nonchalantly.

"What if it isn't?"

"I guess we're gonna have to find out then."

Before he could argue, Sophie grabbed his arm and stuck the needle into a vein, administering the liquid strength to him. Quickly uncapping a second needle, she gave herself a shot.

Seconds later they were both jittering.

"This is like _coffee!_" Sophie cried excitedly, her eyes growing wider. "No! _Better _than coffee!"

Ellis seemed to be in the same state. "Awe man! Feels like I'm floatin'! Let's get us a boat!"

Cas face palmed as he scampered off in excitement, bouncing every step of the way.

"Soph, I can't believe you drugged my fiancé..."

"You better believe it!" She replied quickly. "It'd probably make for even better sex!"

A sigh escaped Cas' lips. They were long gone.

"Might as well sit down and enjoy the show," Nick suggested as he patted the spot beside him.

He and Coach had cleared a spot on the ground where they could watch the two at a safe distance.

"ThisonetimemybuddyKeithwhenan'baughtaboatandwewasgon'liveinit!" Ellis rambled.

Nick and Cas shared an unimpressed sigh. On the other hand, Coach was having a blast watching the two run around and go on about the most random things as they (attempted to) set the boat up. In all truth, it had been comical for all three of them, but it wasn't Coach that had to live with them.

"Why exactly did we let our spouses take adrenaline?" Cas questioned skeptically.

"No clue, but at least you can back out of yours."

The two shared a laugh as a sail boat was pulled up to the dock. Standing up with Coach, they walked over to the boat's entrance, keeping wary eyes on the drugged pair.

"Welcome aboard 'The Cod Father'," Sophie announced over dramatically. "We shall be departing in..." She paused and grabbed Nick's wrist, looking at the time. "Now."

* * *

Once the team was on the boat, Coach and Nick assisted with setting the mast and sails, allowing Sophie to take care of navigation. Cas and Ellis decided to head down to the living space under the deck. There, they found a small kitchen area, a table for four, and a cramped set of bunk beds. Of course, there was also a washroom, which Cas decided to venture into.

"Hey, where'd yew go?" Ellis called from his spot in the 'kitchen'.

Not getting a response, he moved through the living space, poking his head into every area she could be. The last section was the washroom.

"What'chew doin'?"

A crease had formed on the girl's brow as she studied her appearance. She had totally expected the ruffled and dirty state she was in, but that wasn't what was bugging her. Blankly, she poked at her cheek and watched as the puffed skin indented.

"Uhm, Cas?"

The girl dropped her hand and spun around with a grunt. Ellis could clearly tell she wasn't happy, but if he wanted to help, then he'd have to figure out what was wrong. Unfortunately for him, she pushed past him and headed up to the deck.

* * *

"Young'un, do you know where you're going?"

Sophie's course had taken the boat back and forth from either side several times. It wasn't the most efficient method of getting to their destination, but she was going in the right direction. Generally, at least. The swaying of the boat had Nick hunched over the side rail, taking deep breaths to relax.

"Suck it up," she told him, turning the boat back to the right.

"With your driving skills? No can do," he retorted weakly.

All fell silent on the dock, until Cas came bounding up, trailed behind by Ellis. She had been cursing under her breath. If it wasn't one thing, then it was another.

Maybe once they got to the island, things would finally settle down.

* * *

**FN: **Wooo, they finally made it to the boat! A boat! A boat? Who said anything about boats? lol, i remember that being in someone's review from the first series. Whoever that was, you're awesome :P


	9. Tough Love

**AN:**Thanks to xavl-chan for the only review . please don't boycott people T_T

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

* * *

Happiness Is Not a Smoking Gun -9- Tough Love

* * *

Sophie straightened out the boat after a bit of struggle. She had never really driven a sail boat before—but no one else needed to know that. The entire time Ellis trailed after Cas, asking her, _pleading _her to tell him what was wrong.

"Com'on, Cas! Ah can't make it better if yew don't tell me wuts wrong!"

She whipped around in mid-step, her nerves finally catching up to her. "You want to know what's wrong?" a fire flashed behind her eyes, making the hick take a step back. "I'm _fat, _and it's all your fault!"

To pronounce the last word she shoved him back another step—off the side of the boat. The other three had shock plastered all over their faces. Coach was the first to run and throw Ellis a life line. Nick followed after him.

"What the hell, Cas? You don't just go and throw people overboard!" Sophie scolded.

"Shut up or you're next," she growled back.

Shutting up and taking a few steps back, the shorter girl retreated. Any normal day she could probably take the girl on without effort, but as of now, she was pregnant and dangerous. Besides, it had long passed since the full effects of the adrenaline aided her. She would probably crash sometime soon—Ellis too.

She went over to check on the sputtering man, coughing out anything that got into his lungs. Nick passed him a towel and he gratefully accepted it. Sophie noticed his eyes followed Cas who was disappearing below deck.

"Uh, it's nothing personal, I'm sure. She's just cranky because she's bloated and pregnant and—" she cut herself short, trying her hardest not to smile at the last bit. "She _is_ getting a little round."

Nick laughed in disbelief and Ellis frowned.

"It is my fault," he said.

His comment cut the laughter short. Sophie looked over to the other boys and with a tilt of her head, silently dismissed them. They occupied themselves with other tasks. She sat down beside him and sighed.

"Please, boy; it's not like you could have known it would happen."

"Yeah but, I shudn've—we shudn'…"

"Why not?"

Her comment shocked him so much he had to look over with his mouth agape.

"What?" he choked out.

She looked him dead in the eye. "That's right. Actually—I kinda' thank you for getting my friend knocked up. It takes the responsibility off me and I'm sure you two had fun—don't deny it. And…it brought you two fully together." Her gaze dropped. "You didn't have to even ask her to marry you. She would have been with you from that point on no matter what. And you know what? It makes her happy."

He scrunched his face up, "She don't seem too happy now."

"Hormones," she waved off. "Now go on, tell her you love her or some sappy shit and I'm sure she'll be as right as rain."

She stood and walked away. Ellis watched her walk back to the wheel, taking over for Coach. With a minute of contemplation he eventually stood and made his way over to the stairs. Pausing briefly before he ventured inside, he decided that it couldn't get any worse.

He could hear Cas' muffled sobs from the bottom bunk of the bed. She was under a pile of blankets so high he could hardly recognize her. He sat down beside her and rubbed small circles onto her back.

"Shhhhh, it's alright, Cas. I'm sorry fer wut I've done; I know it's prob'ly hard fer yew. I just—I just wan'ed to tell yew that ah love yew and yer pretty no matter how big yew get."

Sophie face-palmed from her eves-dropping location.

Her sniffles quieted down and she peered out from beneath the blankets. Her blood shot eyes gazed up at him. "You mean it?"

Ellis beamed at her immediate response. "Yeah, darlin', I mean ev'ry word of it."

She wiped her nose and sat up to hug him. "I'm sorry I pushed you overboard."

* * *

Shaking her head from top deck, Sophie abandoned her eves-dropping location to charter a rout. She didn't know very much about the sea or sailing—she had only driven motor-run boats before—still, she knew that if you head in a straight line, you'd get to your destination eventually.

Taking a look at the compass on the boat and determining where they were, she guestimated the general direction they were supposed to head to. Drawing their path out on the map, making sure they would avoid all the other small islands in the way, she lay a set of instructions.

Nick wandered into the deck cabin where Sophie was setting out the plans. He had heard every word of the advice she gave to Ellis. He sauntered up behind her and slinked his arms around her waist, propping his chin on top of her head. She rolled her eyes, but leaned back into his chest.

"So," he said conversationally, "you really believe everything you told him."

"Yep."

"That's awfully romantic of you."

She blew a raspberry. "Please. I was just making an observation. I may be unconventional, but I'm not blind. I used to be a poet, you know; the breed of the poet knows everything."

He moved his head from her head to her shoulder. "Really? Why 'used to be'?"

She pulled out of his arms and turned to face him, leaning back against the desk. "Zombies. That's why."

"That's no excuse."

"That's all I've got."

He let out a throaty chuckle, placing himself in-front of her so they were touching. "Come on," he prompted, "make something up for me. Right now."

She could practically feel what he wanted from her, and while she wasn't usually one to argue, she had a good argument this time. Grinning at the forming limerick in her mind, she stood up to full height and gave him a saucy look.

"There once was a man named Nick," she said, grinning, "His best friend Ellis, was a hick." Nick grinned back. "And the love of his life—Sophie, his wife…" she pressed herself against him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Thinks he should put away his dick."

She let go and practically floated out of the room, disappearing to the living quarters in the boat. Nicks shoulders sagged, punching the table quickly.

Coach appeared behind him, "Ha, ha! She got'chew good, Nick!"

"Whatever," he mumbled.

* * *

When Sophie got to the bunkers, Ellis and Cas were already sound asleep, and no wonder. Ellis probably crashed a while ago (as she was doing now) and Cas must have been wiped from the emotional strain.

She climbed onto the top bunk, which was small, cramped, and more like a soft shelving unit than a bed. Still, she couldn't argue. It was soft, dark, and warm. The water cooled off the temperature in the night significantly.

She crawled under the covers, shutting her eyes and allowing sleep to take her.

She would probably have to make it up to Nick…later.

* * *

Up top, at some time around 6 in the morning, Coach and Nick took notice of something in the midst of their conversation.

The wind had stopped.

Both quickly realized they were not moving; only gently rocking with the waves. Automatically Nick ran to get the anchor down—there was _no way _he was going to let some current get them hopelessly lost.

They waited a few more hours, just to be sure before they could raise any sort of alarm. They passed the last cluster of islands some time during the night and were now running on whatever provisions they had. It was enough for a few days, but assuming that the wind didn't start again for a few days…

At around 9, Nick went down below, planning on waking up Sophie. She would probably know if the boat had back-up motors. He snuck in silently and peered into the top bunk (which was more like a shelf, now that he was looking at it). Only her head peered out from the blankets. Her face was half buried in her pillow and she looked completely at peace. It distressed him to wake her up—especially when he knew she didn't normally sleep like this.

Moving a strand of hair from her face, she stirred. She opened her bleary eyes and focused her sleepy gaze on him.

"Nick?" she whispered.

"Hey. You can go back to bed after you tell me something."

She nodded, yawning quietly. "What is it?"

"The wind's stopped. How do we turn on the back-up motors?"

She bolted up, smacking her head into the ceiling and tumbling out of the bed, falling to the floor in a heap.

"What?"

* * *

**FN: **Oh no's, the boats not moving :O What ever shall they do?


	10. Trial and Error

**AN: **Alrighty, finally decided to put this one up! More fun times on the boat.

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

* * *

Happiness Is Not a Smoking Gun -10- Trial and Error

* * *

Ellis and Cas shot up at the sudden noise, their eyes landing on the fallen blond.

"What's goin' on?" Ellis questioned wide eyed. "Yew okay?"

Noting her spot on the floor, Sophie quickly picked herself up and rubbed her head. Though it now throbbed, there were more important matters to deal with. The lack of boat movement was topping the list.

"Backup motor," she reminded herself. "There should be one, but whether or not there's gas is iffy."

Nick nodded his understanding, but the awoken pair kept their confused looks.

"Why do we need the backup motor?" Cas questioned. As she voiced her enquiry, realization slowly crept onto her face. "Shit. The wind stopped?"

"Mmhmm."

"And we're stuck?"

"Mmhmm."

"Sounds wonderful."

Seeing as the girls were done, Nick nudged Sophie. "Should we get the motor running?"

"Well," she started, "we'll have to check if the boat even has one. After that, we'll wait it out to see if the wind will pick up. If not, the remaining gas can be used to get us to the closest island."

The two blinked a few times, the information slowly processing.

"Nick, let's go," Sophie instructed.

Ellis stood up suddenly, only being able to take a step forwards before Sophie waved her hand dismissively. She knew he only wanted to help, but with one look she could tell that he needed sleep. Cas too.

"It's okay, Nick and I can handle it," she informed. "You two can get some rest."

Ellis nodded. "If yew need a hand with the mot'r just holler."

She rolled her eyes and pushed him back into bed. "I think we'll be fine," she turned then to mumble, "I am the hick of the north, after all."

* * *

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and she stumbled onto the deck. Hissing from the sudden sunlight, she shielded her eyes. She smacked her head pretty hard during the fall. The waking up from sleep wasn't helping all that much either.

They got into the shade of the navigation cabin and her eyes finally adjusted. She propped herself up on the table and stared at Nick with her still half-lidded eyes. "Did you even bother looking before you woke me up?"

"No," he admitted without guilt.

"Excellent," she drawled sarcastically.

"Hey, you're the expert here."

"Pfft. As if. I don't know squat about sail boats. I'm winging it."

His look of confusion was quickly replaced with one lacking amusement.

* * *

"She's so _infuriating_!" Nick vented to Coach.

Coach let out a low chuckle. It sounded like him with his wife when they first got married. "I'd say woo her, but that girl's somethin' else."

He stopped his pacing a looked directly at Coach. "Woo her?"

Coach put on a worried face. "Well, it worked with my wife, but we're talkin' 'bout two different people, Nick. I don't think Sophie's one to take well to being swept off her feet."

"It's worth a shot."

"I _don't know."_

"What harm could it do?"

"Boy, she could put you in your place even further than she already is."

"She's not putting me in my place."

* * *

Sophie found the trap door to get to the motor, finding that they indeed, did have one. Checking everything over, she couldn't find anything wrong with it. It was low impact, so they wouldn't move very fast, and there wasn't much gas left at all, but with any luck, it would get them to an island.

She emerged from the floor and called the two over.

"Okay, so it looks like we're getting to the little island after all. I'm gonna turn it on and Coach, I want you to steer."

He nodded and went to the wheel, leaving Nick to follow Sophie below deck.

"That's awfully sweet of you," he said, running a hand down her back, "You wanted to get me all alone, didn't you?"

She looked at him incredulously. "Actually, the reason you don't have a job is because you're pretty much useless in this situation." She flipped the switch and brushed past him.

* * *

A few hours later Cas and Ellis were on deck, enjoying the breeze as they moved. Cas noticed Nick walking towards Sophie, who was sitting Port, and she nudged Ellis to watch the show with her.

"Hello, beautiful," he greeted, taking a seat next to her.

"I've got bags under my eyes, my hair is knotted beyond belief, and I'm slouching. You've got sun in your eyes." She stood and patted his shoulder, "And you're probably dehydrated. Drink some water."

He could hear Ellis and Cas laughing as she walked away.

* * *

"I love you," he tried again later.

"I know," she dismissed, "We've been over this."

* * *

"I have this," he grumbled to Coach later, who was sitting with Ellis.

Ellis looked up, "Nick, even I know she don't like normal stuff."

Nick rolled his eyes. "What do you know?" he asked. "She's _my_ wife. You're content because you're whipped and your girl's pregnant."

"Well, that's just it, Nick. If yew want t' make 'er happy, then yew gotta realize that she ain't _yer_ wife. _Yer_ her husband."

Both Coach and Nick turned to fully stare at Ellis with disbelieving faces. Coach was the first to speak. "Boy, when'd you get so good with women?"

Ellis shrugged, redirecting his gaze to Cas across the deck. "Maybe she c'n help."

Nick glanced at the girl in question. "Everything I've done would've worked on her."

"But she'd know her better than any of us," Coach defended. "The boy's got a point."

Nick weighed his options. Unfortunately, it was the best one.

* * *

"You're kidding," Cas laughed.

It was hard to keep a straight face after hearing the man's situation. Of course she'd help him, but that didn't mean she wouldn't enjoy it.

"Your best bet would be to wait 'till we get to the island."

A skeptical look washed over his face. "Why?"

"'Cuz then you can..." She trailed off into her own thoughts. She knew the man would need to do something innovative to impress her friend; she just needed a second to come up with something. "Alright! Think you can make a hammock?"

Nick felt his brow furrow. "Yeah, but-"

"Don't worry. All you need to know is that it'll work."

She waited for his approval, then continued. "You're going to setup a hammock somewhere on the island and create a treasure map so she can find it."

"The treasure's the hammock? It doesn't seem—"

The smirk on her lips stopped his sentence. To say the least, he was alarmed.

"The treasure will be you. In the hammock. Naked."

His jaw dropped. "Why would that work?"

"'Cuz it's Sophie," Cas excused. "Think about it. You supply her with a game of sorts which leads her to you. Even if she wouldn't see you as a prize, the game makes you one."

"I resent that comment. And why do I have to be _naked_?"

Cas face-palmed. "I said 'if'. And what do you think will happen if she finds you in a hammock naked? It's all worth it."

Nick grumbled a bit before reluctantly agreeing. He'd been through a bunch of ideas already and none of them worked. It was worth a shot.

"Alright, I'll trust you on this."

The girl's smirk grew wider.

"As I said, it's all worth it."

* * *

**FN: **Hook, line, and sinker... or should I say, sucker? XD lol let us know what you guys are thinking, pweez?


	11. Jackpot

**AN: **My bad... I forgot to post again . I think it's 'cuz of the lack of reviews though... they tend to remind me :P *hint*hint*

* * *

Happiness Is Not a Smoking Gun -11- Jackpot

* * *

"So I told him to make a hammock and lay in it naked for her. Best part is, _he believed it!_" Cas burst out laughing at her story.

Nick indeed had become a brother figure to her, and like all good sisters, she needed to pick on him and pull a prank once in a while. This would either go down as a great prank, in which Sophie would push him off the hammock, or there would be no sleep for either of them that night.

Either way.

Ellis tried to stifle his laughter, "Now, Cas, don'chew think that's a little mean?"

"Naw," cut in Coach, "it could go either way. Right, girl?"

Cas nodded, glancing at her friend from the corner of her eye. They had spotted the island a few hours ago and were now making their way towards it. Sophie was fully occupied with steering and Nick was looking for things to construct the hammock with.

* * *

The island hadn't been completely deserted. Still, none of the inhabitants were alive either. Being a small island (privately owned, they could assume), it only had one dock, another sail boat, and a single cottage. Mind you, this was a big cottage.

They took the first few hours searching the island for zombies. Only finding four (and assuming it was an unfortunate family), they buried them and took off to the cottage mansion.

"Oh my God!" Cas cried. "They have _air conditioning_!"

The other four whooped with excitement and set off to explore the large house. They found full provisions, fully furnished rooms, and everything else they could ask for.

"Guys!" Sophie called a minute later. "_Sunscreen!"_

Only Cas whooped.

* * *

Nick had gone off while no one was looking. He set up clues, coordinates, and was finally making his way to the other end of the island. He spotted the secluded beach while looking for zombies and thought it was the perfect location. A white, sandy beach, two palm trees close enough to string it up, and a sunset on the horizon (in a few hours).

He took all the rope he found and began knotting it together. Thankfully, he had done this before in an attempt to impress a few ladies in his younger years. _Actually, _he thought, _around Sophie's age. _Little did he know he would have to use the skill again.

All worth it, he reminded himself.

* * *

Inside, Sophie had just finished cooking a large meal for everyone. Once everyone was happily fed they filed into the living room and collapsed on a couch. Talking about what they were going to do on the island once they got there, Cas promptly cut them off by hastily sitting up.

"I—" she hesitated, bringing a hand to her stomach. "I think I just felt it kicking."

"No way!" exclaimed Sophie, leaping from her spot to kneel in-front of her friend. She placed a hand on the pregnant girl's belly and waited. Seconds later, she also felt a kick.

"WOW! Ellis, feel her belly!" she demanded.

It took a minute longer before the hick's eyes widened at the movement. He looked at Cas in awe before pulling her into a tight embrace. Sophie and Coach looked at each other, smiling and shaking their heads. They decided to leave to give the two a little privacy.

Walking into the kitchen, Sophie noticed a piece of paper and a metal object on the counter. Picking it up, she took note of the old tin compass and the note.

_Fifty paces NE from the back of the house._

Her eyebrows raised and she looked around. Okay, so it was a game. Sophie liked games. She spread some sunscreen over herself, opting to leave her sweater behind for the occasion. Fifty paces in, she spotted another note stuck to a tree.

_The grave site. _

She grinned and took off towards where they buried the family. On the markers there was another slip of paper.

_Follow the yellow brick road. _

She furrowed her eyebrows together, looking up and around. Slightly further away she took note of a trail of pale coloured rocks. She followed the path, ending up in the middle of the island. So far the clues had taken her in a circle.

The path ended at a pile of rocks with another note.

_Follow the sunset._

She looked into the sky to see the sun had indeed been setting, though it wasn't quite on the horizon yet. She jogged forward, coming out onto the beach. Looking around, she couldn't find anything, until she glanced back behind her.

There, on a hammock was Nick.

A very naked, glistening Nick.

She bit her lip, tempted to push him off. Instead, she decided she deserved a little reward for her hard work. He hadn't spotted her yet—his eyes had been closed. She stripped and carefully and silently sneaked over to him. She climbed in on top of him and stretched her body out over his, resting her head on his chest.

His eyes shot open, looking down at the top of her head. She looked up at him with big, blue, innocent eyes, and smiled.

"Do I get my prize now?"

It was all worth it.

* * *

"Maybe we could just stay here?" Cas suggested.

"Hmm, It'd be nice, but wut 'bout our friends?" Ellis asked.

"Mmm, good point."

Coach came back into the living room with three chocolate bars, handing one to each of the room's occupants. "I'm gon' take a wild guess here and say Sophie didn't push him off that hammock."

"Probably," muttered Cas, biting into her chocolate. "I hope she gets pregnant."

Coach and Ellis let out their laughter at the prospect. "She'd be _terrible_ pregnant." Ellis finally said. More laughter.

"Now, how 'bout those baby names?" Ellis asked.

"I'm not very creative; you do it," Cas said.

"Really? Yer gon' let me name our boy?" He asked excitedly

"Yeah, yeah. Just get it over with."

"Hmmm, well, how 'bout Keith?"

Cas sat up and looked at Ellis. "Keith?" she asked. "Like, your best friend, Kieth?"

"Yeah, why not? If it were a girl, I would name it Chelsea."

Cas laughed, "Looks like you're not very creative either."

"Hey!"

She shoved him back down and leant on his chest. "Alright. Keith. Should his middle name be Alexander?"

Coach caught the reference right away and nodded enthusiastically. After a few seconds Ellis caught on as well and let out a disbelieving laugh. "Sure!" he cheered, "Keith Alexander!"

* * *

"We should stay for a little while," suggested Nick.

Sophie smiled from her place resting on top of him. "We'll have to leave some time."

"Yeah, but we could stay for now."

She thought about it before resting her head back on his chest. "It'd be nice. We could ask everyone else tomorrow."

"Mmm, tomorrow."

"Cas told you to do this, didn't she?"

"How'd you know?"

Sophie chuckled. "It's Cas. She knows I like to get creative."

"So I just witnessed."

"Wasn't the first time, won't be the last time."

"Hey, Sophie?"

"Yeah?"

"If there was any woman I had to be stuck with for the rest of my life, I'm glad it's you."

"Now you know I'm not one for the romantic bullshit."

"Heh, yeah. I know."

"But that was sweet," she adjusted her head, "in a tough-guy sort-of way."

* * *

The next morning Cas woke up and went down to the kitchen for a glass of water. She spotted the couple through the glass out on the deck, lounging in lawn chairs, holding hands.

She grabbed her glass and walked out onto the deck to join them.

"Have fun last night?"

Sophie looked up and grinned. "Tons, what about you guys?"

"We named the baby."

"Oh?"

"Keith Alexander."

Both Sophie and Nick burst out laughing. "How much of a hick couple do you have to be to name your kid after alcohol?" Nick choked out.

"Now, come on, Nick," Sophie defended, "It's hilarious."

Cas smiled and sat down on a chair beside them.

"So, I was thinking," Sophie started.

"Yeah?" Cas asked.

"Since I'm the new captain of The Cod Father and I don't want you to have a bastard child, how about I marry you two lovely young people on my boat?"

* * *

**FN: **I've been telling people that I'm actually going to name my kid Keith Alexander XD lol, then the second kid would be James Logan... not 'cuz of Wolverine or anything...


	12. Vacation from the Apocalypse

**AN: **I was hoping this one would get looked over... but we've been busy. Still, it's a good time on the island.

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

* * *

Happiness Is Not a Smoking Gun -12- Vacation from the Apocalypse

* * *

Cas sprung up in her chair, her eyes beaming with excitement. "You can do that?"

"Mmhmm. Captains can legally marry people on their ships," the blond replied.

"That's awesome!"

Nick chuckled from his spot. "Once you do it, you're stuck, you know."

She glanced at him incredulously. "Isn't that the point...?"

Ignoring the girls' high five, he sighed. "Women."

* * *

Once everyone was up and gathered outside, they had to discuss their current dilemma. They could potentially stay on the island. It was safe after all, but then they'd be permanently separated from their friends. The other option was to wait for the wind to pick up and get to their original destination. The choice brought up mixed feelings throughout the group.

"As nice as it is here, I think we should follow our original plan," Coach chimed in.

The group nodded in agreement, hesitant or not.

"Can we bring the A.C. with us?" Cas pleaded.

Sophie stifled a laugh before turning to her friend. "If we could, we would. Unfortunately, we don't have that luxury."

Her statement was understandable. Cas didn't like it, but it was understandable.

"We c'n still stay here a while, right?" Ellis asked.

Everyone turned their attention to the blond. The question had been on everyone's mind.

"Sure, it'll be a nice change in atmosphere."

A grin grew on the hick's lips. "C'n we go swimming' then?"

* * *

Finding the swimsuits was the easy part, convincing certain members to wear what was found wasn't.

"No way! I a'int wearin' that," Ellis complained. "Nick c'n wear it."

Nick shook his head and shrugged. "Sorry Overalls, but I found this one first."

Unfortunately, the guys had only managed to find two pairs of swim trunks... and then a speedo.

"Plus there's no way I'm letting Coach wear it."

Ellis frowned and took the piece of clothing reluctantly. "Fine, but'chew owe me."

"Right, right, whatever."

* * *

After settling the speedo dilemma, the group met up on the beach, fully suited and ready for fun. Well, everyone aside from Ellis.

"How come she get'sta wear shorts?"

By this time, Cas and Sophie couldn't hold back their laughter. Sophie had found a pair of shorts with a bakini top, while Cas was wearing a swimsuit with a oversized t-shirt. They had decided that they could wear whatever they chose to, but of course Ellis didn't have the same authorization.

"Don't even _think _about putting shorts on," Cas warned.

"But-"

"No buts, mister." She stopped and sniggered. "Well, there's one..."

A grunt escaped his lips. Without a word, he jumped at Cas, just missing her as she took off towards the water. He was close on her tail.

The other three laughed watching the Speedo-clad hick chase after a pregnant woman in an oversized t-shirt. It was just so odd!

Sophie threw out her beach towel, sitting on it and applying sunscreen.

"Oh, Nick?" she called. He looked over to her. "Wanna get my back?" she asked, shaking the bottle in-front of her.

He grunted and rolled his eyes, walking over all the same. She lay down on the towel and undid the back for him. He had to smirk at her obvious flirtation.

"And before you ask," he said, leaning close to her ear, "I do like what I see."

She grinned. "That's what I like to hear."

* * *

In the shallow water, Ellis and Cas were splashing at each other. It was obvious to even them that the scene was rather odd, but neither minded. Everyone has (and would continue to) see rather peculiar occurrences. After all, it was quite the eccentric group.

With a mischievous grin, Ellis scooped up the girl in his arm, silencing her protests with his lips. It was rather difficult for Cas to keep her attention from the exposed man kissing her, until the arms holding her disappeared. Ellis couldn't help the light-hearted laugh that escaped his lips when the girl resurfaced. It didn't last long though, turning into a sharp intake of air as she charged at him.

"Common Cas, it was jus'a lil' joke."

Keeping quiet, she was able to grab him. Both fell back into the shallow water, Ellis now pinned down under the girl.

"Are you gonna say you're sorry?" She asked.

There was a hint of playfulness in her tone, but he knew she was planning something.

"Yes ma'am," he answered, holding a straight face. "Won't do it again."

Accepting his apology of sorts, she leaned down and caught his lips in a kiss of her own. As his did, she had ulterior motives. She let her hands innocently trail down to his hips where his only remaining clothing was. If done right, it would be a satisfying form of revenge. His hands caught hers before anything could happen, but they retreated when he felt her fingers stroke his lower abs. Smirking, she fully removed the Speedo and pulled away.

"Don'tchew dare," he warned.

Unfortunately for him, it only made her smirk widen. Pushing him back, she took off towards the beach, leaving him confined to the water.

The remaining laughter made it all worth it.

* * *

"We'll go tomorrow morning," Sophie informed when they returned to the building.

As nice as their break was, they all knew that they had to keep moving. All the new supplies from the island had been set on the table, ready to be packed. Nick volunteered for the job with Sophie a little ways away, planning out their course for the target island. Cas and Ellis decided to get some food ready in the kitchen. Everyone knew that the duo cooking could (and would) end up disastrous, so Coach was in charge of supervision.

"Think you're friends will be there already?" Nick asked as he started with imperishable food.

"It's possible," she replied after a second. "Seeing as we took a vacation, they could have made it by now."

Nick nodded and continued what he was doing. He didn't have the heart to point out the hesitance in her voice. Everyone shared it too. They couldn't be certain, but it didn't mean they couldn't be hopeful. And that's what they were.

* * *

The next morning, the men spent their time loading the supplies onto the boat and raising the sails. Sophie had stayed behind to reassure the sulking girl. They hadn't even left and she was missing the air conditioning. Though, whether or not they voiced it, they all were. Even though the ocean offered them a cool breeze, being in an open area left the sun beating down on you. After hours upon hours out at sea, it took its total.

"Well, I guess we could just stay here forever," Sophie started, "but then again, you two won't be able to get married."

The girl's eyes widened at Sophie's comment. "Then let's get moving!"

It didn't take long for the group to board the boat and for the anchor to be lifted. Soon enough, they were on their way. Preferably, their next stop would be their last, with a newly married couple and no interruptions.

* * *

**FN: **And back to the boat they go. There shall be a little twist added in the next chapter so be sure to review and remind me to post it ;P


	13. Interruptions

**AN: **Sorry that I haven't posted in a while... I'll get on it.

* * *

Happiness Is Not a Smoking Gun -13- Interruptions

* * *

They threw the anchor just off shore. Not wanting to risk anything during the marriage ceremony, they decided to get it done before they headed out to sea. Slightly unsure of the entire process, Sophie had the couple stand at the front of the boat with Nick and Coach watching from deck chairs. Just to make it authentic, she instructed Ellis to take the navigation cabin while Cas waited below deck. She slipped below deck herself, watching Cas at the edge of her seat.

"Is it time?" she asked, springing up.

"lawl, no. Come 'ere, Cas; I've got a gift for you."

Sophie went through the duffel bag she packed with a few luxuries from the house. When she pulled out her gift, Cas' eyes widened.

It was a white cotton summer dress with an empire waist. Sophie assumed it out be a nice fit even with the baby bump. She had been rummaging through the previous owners clothes the entire night before (looking for extra stuff for them, mostly). She could hardly believe her luck when she found a white dress.

Cas' eyes watered up. She wouldn't have normally cried, but given the circumstances (pregnancy, zombie apocalypse, limited resources) she couldn't find words to express her gratitude. She flung her arms around the girl in a tight hug.

"Oh, woah, hey there. It's just a dress; no need to get so emotional. Come on, get in it, I'll fix your hair and we'll get you married. How does that sound?"

Cas nodded and snatched the dress from her friends hand, shooing her away.

* * *

"You sure you want to do this?" Nick asked Ellis.

Ellis looked at Nick. "Look, Nick, jus' 'cus yew have commitment issues don't mean ev'ryone does."

Nick scoffed. "I'm just saying. There's no backing out of it once you're in."

Ellis smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Coach squinted into the distance. "Boys, you seein' what I'm seein'?"

They looked in the direction Coach was squinting in and found that they could indeed see what Coach was seeing.

"Another ship?" Nick asked.

"More survivors?" Ellis exclaimed.

Sophie climbed back up the stairs to find the three crowded around the side of the boat. "What's all the commotion about?" she enquired.

They just nodded in the direction of the boat. Sophie took off into the navigation cabin to retrieve a pair of binoculars. "It's just another boat," she assessed. "Probably more survivors." She put away the binoculars. "It's nothing to worry about. They're probably on their way to safety as well. Let's get this show on the road, eh?"

The three exchanged looks.

"Eh?" Nick finally said.

Sophies cheeks flushed and she looked the other way. "Canadian, remember? Some habits die hard."

* * *

It took her a few minutes to calm Cas down enough for her to gracefully step onto deck. By then, Sophie was already standing in her place and Ellis was waiting in his Speedo and a makeshift bow tie Sophie constructed. The sight of it made Cas laugh as she emerged.

And even though she was laughing at him, the sight of her took his breath away. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and that he had ever wanted to see. He wasn't usually much of a softie, but he nearly burst into tears when he thought this would be the woman he was going to share his life with. And when they got married, the beginnings of their family would already be with them.

She had to restrain herself from running towards him, taking one step at a time. _Breathe, _she reminded herself, _just breathe. _

When she finally made it to him, he captured her hands in his and locked eyes with her. Nick nearly gagged and Sophie had to try not to giggle. Coach was smiling like this was the happiest event he had ever seen in his life.

"Yew look beautiful," Ellis whispered to her so only she could hear.

Sophie cleared her throat, "Dearly beloved, I'll be your host for the evening." Cas giggled. Sophie continued, "and because I don't know all the words, how about we just skip to the good stuff? Ellis, your vows?"

The hick cleared his throat, flushed. "Cassandra, yer the best thing that's ever happened to me. I don't know how I could live the rest of my life without yew, so today I'm gon' marry you. I promise to always be there no matter wut."

Cas started tearing and hastily wiped them from her eyes. "Ellis, I love you with all my heart and I promise to love you until the end of the Earth. Well, maybe more because of the apocalypse."

Sophie chuckled at her speech. Her chuckle was cut short by a loud thump at the other end of the boat. Their heads spun around in time to see the boat from before. A plank landed between the boats and three men climbed over to their deck.

Sophie couldn't help but notice they were three very attractive young men.

"Alright!" the one with blonde hair said, "This boat and island here is now ours so—"

"Excuse me?" Sophie cut him off. The three looked baffled at her interruption. Nick pinched the bridge of his nose. She was going to get them in trouble. "Could this wait for a few minutes? I'm trying to marry these two lovely young people."

"But—"

"Take a seat."

The three newcomers grabbed a chair each and sat near the procession. Sophie turned back to her task. "Now, as I was going to say. I have one more gift for you two." She stuffed a hand down her shirt and pulled out her fist. The group exchanged looks. She unclenched her fist and they saw the two golden bands in her palm.

"No way," Cas said.

"When?" questioned Ellis.

Sophie shrugged, "I picked them up when Nick went to get his Rolex."

Coach and Cas chuckled. She gave each of them the others ring. As they exchanged rings, they said their "I do's".

"Excellent. You may now kiss the bride."

Cas and Ellis shared a deep, movie screen-worthy kiss that sent their three friends into applause. Sophie glared at the three newcomers and walked over to them.

"Which one of you's the leader?"

The blond raised his hand. She grabbed his wrist tightly and dragged him towards the cabin. The other two gave wolf whistles as he was dragged off.

She pushed him into the room and shut the door behind her. "And just who the hell do you think you are, barging in on us and claiming that all of our shit is now yours? Look, we don't want any trouble, so we're just going to take our boat and go. The island and everything that's on it is yours." She took a moment to breathe. "Who the hell are you three anyway?"

The man had been grinning at her the entire time she was lecturing. She couldn't help but scowl. He was hansom—boyish looks, blond hair, bright blue eyes, built (you could see that right through his shirt). "Name's Jake. My buddies out there are Chad and Elliot. Elliot's the black guy."

He sauntered up to her. "How about we make a deal? You five stay with us on the island for a day to…show us a good time. If we find the place likable we'll let you go on your merry way."

She thought for a moment, staring at them. She didn't want any trouble, and by the looks of it, these guys could be trouble. It wouldn't be too terrible to stay another day.

Sophie placed a hand on his chest and pushed Jake back. She then stuck out the same hand to shake. "I'm a captain," she stated, asserting her authority, "and by the looks of it, so are you. So between authorities, let's make this a clean deal."

He smirked and nodded, taking her hand and raising it to his lips.

"Deal."

* * *

**FN: **Well, there you have it. What do you think of the new guys? The more reviews we get, the faster I update, promise :)


	14. Ninjas vs Pirates

**AN:** One of the smaller chapters... sorry, my fault . It's kind of just setting the mood, i guess. And people, stop boycotting the reviews T_T

Left 4 Dead is Property of Valve.

* * *

Happiness Is Not a Smoking Gun -14- Ninjas vs. Pirates

* * *

"So we're goin' back to the island?" Coach questioned. "'Cuz of these hooligans?"

Sophie nodded and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "It's only for a day and it would be risky to go against them."

Grumbles were shared throughout the group, but there wasn't much they could do.

"They do look quite-" Cas paused to take a glance at the new men, "-muscular."

"We c'n take 'em!" Ellis cut in defensively.

The girls exchanged a look and turned back to the group. "Our best bet is to humour them."

Reluctantly, the rest of the team agreed. The idea of becoming hostages didn't pass by as pleasant, but a deal was a deal. After all, Sophie was in charge.

Once their debate was over, Jake walked over to the group and draped an arm over Sophie's shoulder. "Chad's going to stay on your boat until we get to the island. After that, we'll go on a nice little tour."

The tension that took over Nick's body was evident to everyone. Just because they were going along with the deal, didn't mean that they could go around getting cosy with other people's wives. Jake smirked knowingly. This new bit of information was going to make things a lot more fun for the trio.

"Let's just get this over with, shall we?" Nick muttered.

Jake dipped his head and turned towards his team. "Chad, they're all yours."

* * *

"Man, who does 'e think 'e is?" Ellis complained.

Before allowing Sophie to enter the navigation cabin, Chad had taken Cas as insurance to make sure the boat wasn't directed away from the island. At first, they had just sat against the cabin, but then they found that conversation passed the time relatively well. Oddly enough, Cas found that it wasn't hard to talk to him.

"Just ignore him, boy, she already proved her loyalty," Coach reassured. "A'int nothing he's got over you."

Ellis sighed as Chad adjusted his tight shirt. "'Cept for 'is muscle."

Coach sniggered, "she a'int shallow, boy."

His comment wasn't news for the hick. He trusted Cas (that's what their marriage was for), but he didn't trust this Chad fellow. That he was certain of.

* * *

Back on the island, everyone got off the boats and headed for the building. The only pleasant surprise the new comers had going for them was a dog that followed them off their boat. It had immediately darted to the group of five for a greeting, it's tail wagging all the way.

"Oh, great, a dog," Sophie muttered. Nick raised an eyebrow, forcing her to explain. "It's either going to love me or hate me. There's never a middle ground."

After Cas' excited greeting, the dog moved to Nick, then Sophie. A growl built up in it's throat.

"Told you."

* * *

Once in the building, it had been decided that Jake would stay with Sophie, Chad with Cas, and Elliot with the men. The first two acted as hostages in case anyone tried something. Then of course, Elliot was there to prevent anything from happening in the first place. That's how it looked at least.

Trying to keep everyone together, Sophie suggested they all stay in the house for now, which thankfully, they agreed to. Once they were comfortably sitting in the living room, an awkward silence fell over the two groups. Sophie cleared her throat and stood up. Jake shot up after her.

"Oh, whoa, hold on now," she said with her hands up. "How about I go fix everybody a drink and you three can explore the house? Sound good?"

Chad scoffed. "Sounds like an escape plan."

Elliott nodded and Jake smiled at Sophie. "How about I go help you fix those drinks and Cas over here can give Chad a tour of the house. Elliot can get to know the boys." He stood in front of her mockingly. "Sound good?"

Sophie ignored Coach's chuckle and turned to the kitchen. Jake followed.

"Heh, ninjas verse pirates," Cas snickered to herself.

Being right beside her, Chad grinned. "Aye matey. How's about a tour?"

The girl's eyes moved over to Ellis and the others for assurance. She was always quick to trust others so she often turned to friends for their opinion. This time, she found that they didn't.

"Uhm, why don't we all go together?" She asked.

She wasn't sure why they didn't trust him (he was a nice guy), but she'd go along with them anyways. For now at least.

"I don't care much for buildings," Elliot shrugged.

"And it looks like Charlie wants to go for a walk."

As soon as the dog was brought into the decision, her choice was made. With a grin, she nodded to the boy and stood up.

* * *

"You don't seem like a drinker," Jake commented from his seat on the counter.

The girl shrugged and continued mixing drinks. "A few here and there never hurt anyone."

In truth, the girl was rather experienced with alcohol and could easily hold her liquor. With a chuckle, Jake took one of the drinks and lifted it up to his lips.

"Excuse me? Didn't you say you were going to help?" She questioned.

He smirked. "How can I be of service?"

Watching her suppress a reaction, he slid off the counter and moved behind her.

"Never mind, it's nearly done."

Seeing as he wasn't one to back off, he slid in closer to her and reached around to help out. That's what he'd make it seem like at least.

"So, am I doing it right?" He asked quietly.

His breath swept across her neck, sending a shiver down her back. _The hell you are_, she though.

* * *

It hadn't taken much time for Cas to show Chad around the building. Hardly anytime at all. With that being the case, they decided to go outside for some air.

"So, you don't drink?"

Cas tensed before looking over at the man. It wasn't a lie to say she didn't (she rarely had the desire for alcohol anyways), but her present reasoning didn't have to be disclosed.

"Nah, not really a fan," she told him. "What about you?"

He shrugged. "Same."

The time was spent in relaxed conversation as the two watched Charlie run about the area. Soon enough, the sun had started to set and a cool breeze washed onto the shore.

"As nice as that felt, maybe we should head inside," Cas pointed out.

She had still been wearing the makeshift wedding dress that Sophie had found and even after dealing with the hot sun, the breeze wasn't as pleasant as expected.

Without a word, Chad removed his jacket and draped it over the girl's shoulders.

* * *

"How's the island?" Jake asked.

The two had entered the house to find their friends still in the living room, drinks in hand. They had been on their third by the time Cas and Chad decided to return.

"The views pretty nice," Chad answered with a grin.

"Maybe we'll stay here after all." Jake matched his look and leaned back on the couch. "And the company's been delightful."

An audible sigh came from the blonde beside him. "In that case, we'll be leaving tomorrow."

"Aww, already?"

Ignoring the pair's exchange, Ellis had finally caught Cas' eye, gesturing her over with a grin. Before she could sit down, he snaked his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap.

"Might wanna reel your girl in too, Nick," Coach snickered.

Not finding the man's comment as amusing, he glared at Jake.

Soon enough they'd be able to leave- soon enough he wouldn't have to deal with the resentment in his gut.

* * *

**FN:**I hope everyone has heard about the next DLC for L4D... comic and game add on. The first survivors finally get melee! Search for The Sacrifice on youtube.


	15. Charlie Bit Me

**AN:** Once again... all good things must come to an end. I think there's going to be about three more chaps. We've been planning though, so don't fret too much :)

* * *

Happiness Is Not a Smoking Gun -15- Charlie Bit Me

* * *

"Don't worry about it," Sophie assured. She glanced at Jake, "I'm happily married and a faithful wife." She was about to walk over to Nick, but an arm was draped across her shoulder.

"In which case, I'm sure Mr. Faithful Husband wouldn't mind Mrs. Faithful Wife giving me a little moonlit tour around the beach?"

Nick scoffed loudly and Chad grinned. "Sure he won't! You can take Charlie—"

"NO!" Sophie cried. Everyone looked at her with surprise except for Cas, who was grinning like a fool. "Uh, it's just—he doesn't like me very much. But Cas! He likes you! Why don't you keep the mutt company!"

The dog growled at the blonde girl and she shot him a glare. Wanting to get out of the house, she turned back to look at Jake. "I think I could provide a tour if I could have Nick tag along?"

Jake looked over her shoulder, noticing Nick sit up a little taller. He looked back down to her. "Nah, he'll be fine. Come on, I want to see the best places on the island." With his arm still draped over her shoulders, he guided her out onto the porch and into the dimly lit night.

Nick glared at Elliot. "If your buddy does anything to her and I hear about it. There will be hell to pay."

Elliot gave no response, but Chad laughed. "Ha! Insecure? What, unable to please your wife so you're worried she's gonna go off with another man?"

"Why I outta—"

"Nick!" Cas intercepted, "Don't worry. Sophie's not going to do anything."

Of course, the little nagging voice in the back of her mind said

_I hope. _

_

* * *

_

"And here's the hammock. You can get a great view of the sunset from here."

She was trying to keep her mind off the boy by being the perfect tour guide. If she had a job to do, her mind was less likely to wander to foreign places.

It wasn't that she was unfaithful. It was more she was young and hormonal and he was, well, delicious.

"You made a hammock?" Jake questioned, getting into it.

"Mmhmm, Nick made it for me." she said.

Jake smirked, "Ohhh, so your hubby made it for you. How romantic."

"_It was._"

"Tell me something, Soph', can I call you Soph? How long have you two been married?"

"Four months."

He whistled. "That's it? Wow. So you two must still be pretty happy together. How old are you anyway? He seems an awful lot older than you." He flashed a charming smile. "But I could be wrong. It could be because you're so pretty."

She flushed at the comment. "I'm 18. He's 35. I always went for older men anyway."

His eyebrows shot up. "Jesus—that much of an age gap? I'm only 24 myself." He looked at her slyly, "Still an older man."

She scoffed. "Look. I know what you're trying to do. I'm not as oblivious as Cas when it comes to flirting. If you're trying to get into my pants, it's not going to work."

Jake shot up and sat at the edge of the hammock. "Why not?"

"Because I'm married!"

"No one has to know."

"They'll know."

"How?"

"The fact that we'll be gone for more than what is necessary."

"So we stopped and had a chat for a while."

"You're ridiculous."

"Don't tell me you don't find me attractive and charming."

Sophie withered in her argument. She couldn't deny that—not truthfully.

"So, what if I do?"

He grinned and leaned forward. "Then let me kiss you."

"No."

"Just one kiss."

"Will it make you shut up?"

"Yes."

"Fine."

She smashed her lips to his in a hasty kiss, pulling away just as fast as she got there. She wanted to hit herself for liking it. Smacking her wrist and standing to her full height (which wasn't much), she took off in the direction of the cottage.

"H—hey! Wait up!"

* * *

She practically marched into the cottage, storming across the room and plopping herself into Nicks lap. She curled into him and he snaked his arms around her. Jake walked in smugly, glancing at the couple.

"Can we go to bed now?" Sophie asked.

"Oh, sure," he said. "I saw, what, four rooms? How about I'll bunk with you, Chad can stay with Cas, Coach with Elliot and the devoted husbands together?"

Sophie let her face fall. Cas stood up. "Okay, but I get Charlie too!"

Her friend almost burst out laughing at the pregnant lady.

* * *

It was safe to say that Sophie wouldn't have slept that night even if she wasn't looking out for her moral safety. Still, she tolerated the way Jake pressed himself against her back and held her to him. All she would have to do was wait for him to be asleep before she could get up. When she finally felt his breathing slow, she skillfully wriggled out of his arms and slipped off the bed. It was a skill she acquired with Nick—and Nicks grips were much tighter than Jakes.

She spent a few hours peering into rooms to make sure nothing funny happened. Ellis and Nick were on opposite ends of the large bed they had to share, Coach was snoring contently from his single bed and there was a dog between Cas and Chad. Nodding to herself, she decided to check her boat to make sure everything was on it and ready to go for the morning.

While checking her own boat, Sophie's eyes drifted to the other boat. _Jake's boat. _She tried keeping it to herself mostly. Before the apocalypse, Sophie had been a slight kleptomaniac. Along with this, she could never turn down the opportunity to snoop around for anything worth stealing. So, she figured if they were pirates, and if everyone else was sound asleep, there was no harm in taking a look around.

Just a peek.

Nothing intentionally incriminating.

Of course, her "peek" resulted in a few extra cans of gas, canned food, a pair of trunks for Ellis (leaving the Speedo in its place), and a value pack of matches.

* * *

She snuck back into bed barely half an hour before he woke up. When he did, he grinned and pulled her closer. At least, she thought he was grinning; with her back faced to him she could only assume.

"Good morning, beautiful," he greeted.

"I've been awake for a while. Can I get up now?"

"So soon?"

"I'd like to make breakfast before we go."

"Mmm, sounds good."

As she got up to go to the kitchen he smacked her ass.

* * *

After preparing breakfast, the task of waking everyone for it was at hand.

"Wanna be of some use?" she asked Jake, who had been watching her all morning. Just as he was about to make a remark she cut him off. "Go wake up my husband. I'm getting Cas."

Walking into the bedroom was fine. Even with all the noise she made the two still didn't wake up. She rolled her eyes and went to grab Cas' shoulder to wake her.

The dog's head whipped around and bit down on the offending hand.

"_SON OF A BITCH!_"

Needless to say, everyone was awake after that.

* * *

After breakfast, the group had decided that it was best to leave. Cas was still making fun of Sophie.

"Ha, ha; Charlie bit you."

Sophie glared at her companion before taking off to her boat. Cas hugged Chad in a friendly manner, then crouched down to pet Charlie. "Who's a good boy?" she cooed.

"He isn't," Sophie grumbled bitterly.

Jake came up behind her. "If you ever get sick of him, I'll be waiting here," he offered.

She grinned at him. "Nah, I don't think you'll want me back after I'm gone."

And with that, they left.

* * *

"So what did you steal?" Asked Cas as soon as the island was out of sight.

"A few cans of gas, some food, matches, and trunks for Ellis," she replied, not bothering to look at her friends reaction.

Ellis cheered.

* * *

**FN:** Well, do we still have readers? lol, let us know what you guys are thinking, don't be shy ;P


	16. Bonding

**AN: **So, if anyone lives in the Toronto area, I`m sure you know about Fan Expo. I ended up going all three days and it was a blast! There were quite a few L4D chars, even the fallen survivor! If anyone went and saw a Tifa with a shiny costume, that was me, lol XP

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

* * *

Happiness Is Not a Smoking Gun -16- Bonding

* * *

Now that the group had left the island, it felt like a weight had been lifted. For Nick and Ellis, it seemed as though they had to be constantly on edge, but now they could finally relax.

"Feels good ta be back on the boat," Ellis sighed.

The boy lay stretched out on the boat's deck, his head resting on Cas' lap. It was the most comfortable he'd been in a while.

Coach laughed to himself. "I'm sure Nick would agree too, but..."

He let the lazy (or lack of) boat steering speak for itself. It was quite evident that the captain was distracted. It could easily be blamed on Nick.

"Either of you know how long it's going to take?" Cas asked. "To get to the island, that is."

Coach shrugged. "The girl had said a few hours." She gave a nod, watching as the man stood up. "I'm gonna go down to the cabin. The heat's getting' to me."

"'Kay."

Waiting for him to leave, Ellis sat up slowly and stretched.

"Hey Ellis, when we get to the island, can we get a dog?"

A perplex look washed over his face. "I don't think there' gon be any pets there..."

His statement put a frown on her face. He was quick to react.

"But maybe we c'n find a wild one. I'll catch 'im and train 'im myself."

He grinned at her, hoping it would be contagious. It was.

"Thanks," she said before pecking him on the lips.

"No problem Darlin'."

* * *

Nick finally parted from the blond, resting his forehead against hers. They hadn't gotten too serious, seeing as Sophie had to keep the boat in line with their destination, but they were still missing a few articles of clothing. In reality, Nick's sole aim was to just be close to his wife. After all that had happened with the pirates, he wanted to reassure himself. He wasn't quite sure if reassure was the right word for what he was feeling, but as long as Sophie and himself were happy, he didn't care.

"Never thought you were so insecure," Sophie teased.

He shot up defensively. "I'm not-" His body relaxed as he let out a sigh. He wouldn't win.

With a smirk, Sophie pulled him back. They were long from done.

* * *

In the end, the heat had taken it's toll on the pair outside and they opted to head to the living quarters. They had been laying side by side, just looking up at the bottom of the top bunk. That was, until Cas sat up with realization. Ellis shot up after her, slightly panicked.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothin, nothing," she waved off. "I just realized that we didn't have a honeymoon."

The boy's head tilted ever so slightly. Her jaw dropped.

"You're kidding..."

"Sorry."

With a sigh, she adjusted herself to be facing him, a twinkle of anticipation in her eye.

"It's something that newly weds do after getting married. We're supposed to go somewhere nice and... Bond."

"We c'n bond here," he pointed out innocently.

"Yeah, but..."

Leaning closer, he smirked at her. "Then we'll have our honey, uh, moon on the island. I'll make you a ham-ock."

She grinned at his suggestion and nodded. Considering the situation, they technically would be in an out of the ordinary(ish) area. That and the fact that they couldn't travel anywhere special.

"We c'n have bondin' time now too," he added.

Liking the idea, Cas leaned closer to him and pressed her lips onto his. Though, it only lasted a few seconds before she pulled away suddenly.

"Coach is over there," she pointed out quietly, her cheeks tinted pink.

After a quick glance down to the kitchen, he faced her again with a shrug.

"He a'int payin'ttention."

She bit her lip momentarily. She wasn't sure if he knew how badly she wanted him, but it wouldn't feel right with Coach just seconds away.

Before either could do anything else, the boat jolted suddenly and a loud crack echoed through the lower living area. Both instantly got up and scampered to where Coach was.

"What's goin' on?"

"Sounds like we hit something'," Coach replied worriedly.

The three managed to get back up to the dock, noting the lack of forward movement. They could feel it slowly tilting to one side.

"Shit! Sorry," Sophie called as she raced out of the cabin. "We'll have to take the row boat."

Nodding towards Nick, he moved to the side of the boat with Coach and started lowering the boat.

"Cas, Ellis, go gather the most important things we've got," the blond instructed. "Keep in mind we're limited on space."

With a silent agreement, the two headed to the lower level and started collecting items. Sophie moved to help with the boat.

"Great. It's what- a three person boat?" She mumbled to herself. "I should start ignoring you."

Her comment earned a glare from the conman. "You wouldn't be able to do it."

"Alright. I'm going to go help Cas and Ellis."

Nick felt his lip twitch as she sauntered off to offer her assistance. He just had to open his mouth. Coach's laughter only rubbed it in.

He turned to glare at the older man. "It won't last long."

At least, he hoped it wouldn't.

* * *

Twenty minutes into the collision, the five had boarded the small row boat, equipped with food, weapons, med kits, and a few other useful items. Sophie sat at the front of the boat with her map. She would occasionally look up to check her bearings, then bring her gaze directly back to the map. Nick scoffed as he pulled on the paddles handles. He had been stuck with the labour, while Coach, Cas, and Ellis sat back and watched. Both men had been sitting side by side with Cas on the hick's lap. It didn't seem fair, but of course, his wife had ignored any protests the man had come up with. He _really_ needed to learn when to shut up.

"Looks like we're headed a bit too far East," Sophie commented.

Her statement wasn't directed to anyone in particular, causing a slight grumble to escape Nick's lips.

After an hour or so of traveling in the row boat, the group had finally made it to their destined island. As soon as he stepped out of the boat, Nick collapse into the sand.

"I'm never- rowing- a boat- again," he spat out between huffs.

Coach patted his back as he walked by. With a hand from Ellis, they were able to lift the boat and bring it over to the forested area. With a few leaves and shelter from the trees, they covered it for protection. That, and they'd need it for later if they ever felt the desire to leave. If not, it's main use would be for fishing. Hopefully they would be able to stay there. Seeing as no one could come up with any viable threats, it seemed to be the perfect safe zone.

"Let's get a move on, shall we?" Sophie questioned before grabbing some equipment and started walking down the beach.

The remaining four followed suit with the last of the gear. None of them really knew where they were going... Or what they were going to do when they got there. Well, aside from Sophie.

"Do you have a plan... Or are we just wandering?" Cas asked curiously.

Sophie didn't bother to turn around to answer. "We're going to find our friends."

"Then why don't we-"

Finally, the blond spun around, giving her friend a stern look. "If necessary, we're going to circle the whole strip of land."

By just the look, Cas knew she had no choice. "'Kay..."

It was hard to argue with her plan, even if they wanted to. No one could challenge her motives either. They all wanted to find their friends.

And they wouldn't stop until they did.

* * *

**FN:** Woooo! They made it to the island! About time! But will they find everyone else...? And will they all be okay...?


	17. Family

**AN: **Second last one, so review while you can, lol XP Hope everyone's enjoying the story and thanks to those who have been sticking with us the entire time! You'll be happy to know that we're working on another sequel... again lol I'll give you guys the details in the next chapter, so make sure you put me on author alert!

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

* * *

Happiness Is Not a Smoking Gun -17- Family

* * *

They had been walking for hours. The sun was getting low in the sky and the five were getting worried. What if their friends didn't make it? What if they searched the whole island up and down and still couldn't find them? Cas fidgeted nervously. Sophie wouldn't allow herself doubt. If the leader couldn't be sure, then who could?

"Are we any closer?" groaned Ellis.

"No," Sophie answered.

He let out a noise of protest and Sophie suddenly stopped walking causing Nick to walk right into her. She ignored it. She figured by the time they found their friends she could give up the challenge and still win by claiming ignoring him for that amount of time was 'forever' for her. Also, there was a distinct noise she could have sworn she heard just a second ago.

Holding her hand up to signal quiet, she strained her ears again for the sound. She broke out into a grin when she heard it and took off sprinting down the beach.

"Wait—Soph!" Cas called, reacting quickly and following.

The other three sprinted behind them, watching the scene unfold before their eyes. Seeing what they did edged them to run faster.

* * *

"Oh, hey, you got my note."

Lillian was lounging on a chair that Keith had made out of sticks for her. She found that the mechanic had taken quite a liking to her and she wasn't one to complain. She had taken quite the liking to him too.

Sophie gave a little ironic smile. They just went through hell again and all her friend could say was, 'you got my note.'

They probably got there without a cinch.

The blonde looked around, scanning the area for their other friends. "Where is everyone?" she asked.

Lillian hooked her thumb back, pointing to the foliage. "We made a camp in the woods by this little waterfall. You'd never guess—there was another group of survivors already here when we showed up."

Sophie raised her eyebrows. The rest of the group caught up, huffing and puffing.

"Hey guys," Lillian greeted.

"Hey," said Cas between breaths.

* * *

When they got to the clearing, no one could quite believe their eyes. Aside from the beautiful scenery (which was everywhere, really), there had to be another ten or so people there, not including their friends. Everyone parted to say hello to their lost friends. They were surprised when Coach took off through the camp towards a woman and her child.

They all couldn't contain their happy laughter when he picked her up and spun her around. Must be his family. No one could keep the grin off their face and Cas nearly burst into tears at the happy reunion. Sophie smiled over at Cas, sharing her sentiment but hiding hers much more effectively.

"You okay, Cas?"

She nodded before taking off in the direction of Brandon and Chelsea.

Chelsea looked up to her friend as she was approaching. "Oh, hey there pregnant lady! What took you so long?"

Cas laughed and hugged her. "You wouldn't believe it if I told you."

Brandon grinned. "Try us."

* * *

Sophie stood back from the camp, taking it all in. Lillian passed by a minute ago, giving her friend a hug, but excusing herself for sentry duty (which is why she was on the beach in the first place). Nick took his place by her side after making his rounds.

"We made it," he said, testing the waters.

"Yep," Sophie replied.

He looked down at her with his eyebrows raised. "I thought you could ignore me forever?"

She grinned up at him, giving her best glittery eyes. "It was forever for me."

He laughed at her comment, hugging her. "You lying bitch. There's a romantic in you after all."

"Yeah, sure. One of my multiple personalities," she joked.

* * *

Set up off to the side, Cas and Ellis lay quietly in their makeshift hammock, sharing kisses here and there. It had taken the pregnant woman a while to settle in with the hick, but once she was comfortable, she wasn't going to move for quite sometime.

"What do yew wan' next; a dog or our hon-eye-moon?"

Craning her neck, she looked up at him with a giggle. "How 'bout you get a dog, we go on our honeymoon, then you give it to me?" She flashed him a toothy grin. "Then all that's left is the happily ever after."

He pulled her closer and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Sounds per'fict."

Resting her head back on his chest, Cas glanced over at Coach and his son. Both of them were currently tossing a football back and forth with his wife watching with a smile on her face. By the looks of it, Cas assumed that he was about seven or so. She couldn't help but hope her family would turn out the same.

* * *

"Dad! How'd you do that?"

The boy was staring incredulously at his father. After keeping his throws to light tosses, Coach had finally decided to show his son a real throw. The kid had been amazed.

"It's goin' to take a lot of practice, son."

Nodding eagerly, the boy ran forward and held out the ball in front of Coach.

The woman who had been watching stood up with a short laugh. "Andre, why don't you let your father rest for a bit?" The boy pouted.

"I'll teach you later, alright?" He watched as the boy nodded, then headed towards his wife.

Wordlessly, he pulled her into his arms and held her there. It had been so long since he had seen her- since he had held her like that.

"I knew you'd make it," she told him softly, "and I'm so glad you did."

The man tightened his grip on her. Oh god, how much he missed her.

"I love you, Brenna."

She lifted her head to look straight into his eyes. "I love you too."

Her words came out so certainly. Finally, they were together again.

* * *

The five spent the first days after that trying to adjust to the new living environment. Lillian had been in charge of informing the group.

"The only position we have left is a teacher..."

The group only laughed at Nick's misfortune. The others had easily taken their previous jobs with the exception of Cas (seeing as she was pregnant), but their new community didn't need anyone in communications. Just the thought of the conman teaching little kids sent the group into fits of laughter.

"It'll be easy," Nick stated smugly.

Coach sent him a disapproving look. "Bet'chew'll only last a week this time."

Hiding his faltered confidence, Nick took a breath in, expanding his chest. He knew that a job as a teacher was much, _much_, worse than his previous job in communications. Not only did he have to teach, but he had to teach _children_. Not only was he out of his strong suit, but he was being tortured at the same time. And for a matter of fact, he knew Sophie didn't like to be around kids for that long either. Maybe she'd have some sympathy.

"Hey, Soph-"

"No."

Or not.

Looking around the room, he looked for a way out or for someone to help him. His only hope sparked when Cas lifted her hand hesitantly.

"I don't want him teaching Keith."

Coach snickered. "I wanna see him _try_."

Sophie grinned and placed her hand on his shoulder. "You never know," she said with false sentiment, "you could be good at it."

"Sometimes I wonder why I married you."

"Me too."

* * *

The five sat around the camp fire. Everyone else was asleep or otherwise occupied.

"Hey," Cas said. Everyone turned to her. "Even though we have our other friends and stuff back, we're all still family, right?"

No one could hide the little smiles that grew on their faces.

"Yeah, Cas," Sophie answered. "We're family. Nothin's gonna change that."

* * *

**FN:** Questions, comments, critism, praise? Let us know what you guys think about it and make sure to be ready for the last one!


	18. Ending Start

**AN:** Ahh, the last chapter . It's mostly just a closer to wrap things up, but it's got some good stuff in it. Be sure to add me to your author alerts for the sequel. I'll talk about it in the footnote.

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

* * *

Happiness Is Not a Smoking Gun -18- Ending Start

* * *

"Yup, you're pregnant."

Sophie and Cas couldn't help but smirk at their friend as she dropped her head against the office desk. After six months at the makeshift reserve, Chelsea had gone to Cas with a apprehensive look. After that, the two had gone to the medic for her confirmation.

"It's not _that_ bad," Cas comforted with a shrug. "Plus, you end up with a cute, lil' baby that'll keep you up all night."

Chelsea groaned. "That's what I'm afraid of."

Seeing as her friend had already gone through it, Cas' words were slightly reassuring, but then again, she was stuck with a one month old boy. As she had claimed, he did indeed keep them up all night.

"Well, I should go relieve Ellis of baby watch," Cas informed, standing up. "We'll talk later."

Receiving a sluggish wave, she left towards her house. Oddly, Ellis enjoyed watching his son, and when asked, would gladly take over for Cas. She was surprised to see his enthusiasm towards the boy, but it was a good surprise. It saved her from endless hours without sleep.

* * *

Lillian had been the first to jump on the repopulation bandwagon (whether intentionally or not). She and Keith hadn't taken long to follow in their friend's footsteps and a month later had discovered that she had also gotten pregnant. Like Sophie, she too didn't necessarily enjoy the thought of kids, but with a little coaxing from Keith, she (with a little resistance) was accepting of her new addition. Keith, like his best friend had been, was nothing less than excited by his girlfriend's news. He hoped for a boy, but it would take a little more effort to get Lillian to agree to go see Sophie for a gender. She was already a month overdue, but with his busy schedule he had to let it slide. Being one of the only handymen in the group, he and Ellis had been put in charge of any and all construction projects. It was a job that took up many hours, but it was satisfying. He just hoped Lillian was as happy as he was. Despite her uncertainty with a child, it was likely she was.

* * *

"Any questions?"

Nick leaned back onto his desk, his eyes scanning over the students in front of him. Once again, they didn't have any further questions.

"Alright, class dismissed."

After the children left, he turned and packed all his belongings. Even though all bets had been against him, the conman was not only able to keep his job, but he found that he didn't hate it. Hell, he liked it.

Of course, he wouldn't openly admit it though (or to himself for that matter), but it was quite evident that the job was a good fit for him. After the first few weeks of work, he found that he became more compliant when he had to go in. That and the frightening discovery that he _liked _kids. It shocked him more than it would anyone else.

* * *

Back at his house, he found Sophie working in the kitchen, making dinner. It was always a satisfying thing to come home to after a full day of work. Plus, her cooking was by far his favourite.

Wrapping his arms around her, he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and rested his chin on the top of her head.

"So, how was work?" She asked.

"Same as always. God, I love those kids," he replied.

She couldn't help but chuckle. "Trust you to make a full turn around and end up being good with kids. They all love you too, you know."

He had been trying to find the best time to ask her. After spending six months with other people's children, and with all of his friends having children, he began to want one of his own. He knew she would be completely against the idea.

"They like to too, you know," he said slyly.

Sophie scoffed, "They think I'm the Wicked Witch of the West. Kids don't like doctors, Nick. It's just a fact. I know what you're thinking, Nick—we're not having kids."

"Why not?"

"Because I'd be a terrible mother."

"I'd be a great father."

"And I'll get fat."

"I don't mind."

"I do. I'd be a terrible terror as a pregnant lady."

"I could calm you down."

"There would be no one to deliver the baby."

"Coach's wife and the other mothers could help."

"We're not having a baby."

"How can you stop that?"

"I know enough about my body to tell when I can and cannot get pregnant."

"We'll just have sex all the time."

"I won't be in the mood all the time."

"Please?"

"They cry and scream and poop. We are not having a baby."

"I'll take care of it! You won't have to do a thing."

"You sound like Cas asking for a dog."

"Don't make me get Cas to nag you for me."

"Her arguments are even less effective than yours."

* * *

In the community, the new houses were small. In fact, they were more like huts than anything. It was a family per hut and thanks to the handy men and crafts people, each house had a wood stove, a nice bed, a table and chairs, and a cupboard. The school was a single room with something that resembled a chalk board, and the medical clinic was the doctor's house. Sophie's and Nick's house.

It wasn't the best way to live, but it was pretty damned good for civilians pooling resources. No government influence involved, hardly anything from the outside world, and with minimalist tools.

Eventually a group of survivors made it without crashing a boat. It became their main means of acquiring resources and seeking adventure. Keith and Lillian were the only two of the group to go on these boat trips. Cas had the baby, Ellis had Cas, Coach had his family, Brandon and Chelsea had important jobs, Nick was the only teacher, and Sophie was the only doctor.

It was a small town by definition—population 35 (and growing).

* * *

Cas came to get her and little Keith's check up. Sophie had instructed her to come back for a formal look some time this week. First she made sure Cas was in good health, feeling happy when everything checked out. She then picked up Keith in her arms and while cradling him, made sure he was healthy. For not having his shots and being in such an environment, the kid seemed as healthy as his mother.

Keith was a good baby. Sophie didn't mind him in the least and didn't much care when Cas occasionally asked her to take care of him. Best of all—she could give him back at the end of the day.

"So," Cas started, "I hear Nick wants a rug-rat too."

"You heard right," Sophie grumbled.

"No need to get angry about it. You're just going to tell him 'no' anyway."

"Yeah, except I'm two weeks late."

Cas blanched.

"What?"

"I'm two weeks late. Therefore, pregnant."

"Uhmm, I'd say congrats, but…"

"I know you're dying to. I'll take care of Keith; run off and tell Nick. While you're at it, do it in-front of his class just so the whole community knows."

"Okay!"

"Wait!"

She meant it as a joke.

* * *

Life would improve, time would move on, people come and go, and no one could complain. This was it. Life was just starting just as the world was ending.

* * *

**FN:** That line gets me everytime, way to go Soph. Anywho, sequel! We figured we didn't want to bore you guys with life on the island, and if there was a third apocalypse for those survivors, my char would probably kill herself lol. So, we got to thinking and we realized that we left out two of our close friends. That led to 'let's get them to safety too!' And thus, the sequel will be about them meeting up with a few people *cough*l4d1*cough* and getting to safety. The story will also switch between them and the survivors on the island, so we're not leaving them out. Hmm... what else... I'll give you guys a little snippit from it, but I think I'll just leave it at that. Be sure to add me on author alert!

_A minute of shuffling later she announced that it was safe for him to turn back around. The two stood in awkward silence, fidgeting with their weapons._

_"So, um, what brings you 'round here?" She asked._

_"Oh, I was vacationing with my family and they turned into zombies."_

_"Oh, I hate when that happens."_

_"Yeah."_

_"Yeah."_

Heh... I can picture it so it's pretty funny for me XD Anyways, author alert me and wait patiently :) Thanks for sticking around people!


	19. Message to our readers

So, as everything tends to die when school starts, so will the sequel for the time being. We we've got a few chapters written, but school has claimed Sophie and it wouldn't be fair to start a story and just stop it randomly.

Very sorry people. I'll be sure to start adding it once we have time, but until then, you'll have to wait. T_T

Thanks for sticking with us and I hope we'll see you back when it's ready.


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